Nala's Brother: Newly Edited
by Sandan1992
Summary: A stranded teenager becomes almost a brother to Nala and watches her grow up during Scar's reign. A story about friendship, adventure, and just plain old growing up. Enjoy and Comment!   Rewritten to higher standards of writing
1. Chapter 1: A New World

*****Author's Note*****

**For those of you that have never read my work, thanks for looki**ng in. For **those of you have known me from before, thanks for rejoining me. This was my first story, and it recieved a decent amount of praise despite my lack of writing experience. Looking back at it though, it was pretty awful writing and I just feel it needs to be fixed; namely sentence fluency, paragraph structure, and basic plot line. (Don't expect huge changes to anything, but there may be a scene here and there that weren't in the original). So here, without any more introduction, is a rewritten and re-edited version of "Nala's Brother." Hope you all enjoy it you check out my other stories while you're at it.******

*****Nala's Brother*****

*****Chapter 1*****

*****A New World*****

Alex opened his eyes and looked around what was left of the small plane. All of the windows in sight were broken in and there were heavy dents in the walls. He began to vaguely recall the night before; the lightning of the storm, the darkness, the noise. But now... It was too quiet. The piercing screams of terror that had filled the aircraft only hours earlier were gone; replaced only by the throbbing buzz of cicada outside. It was unsettling to say the least and Alex felt his heart begin to pound, only increasing the pain of his headache. He tried to remember more of the night before, but only vague and shadowy memories filled his head.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Alex called in vain for the others he had been flying with. It was obvious that none of the three other passengers were around, or at least conscious. He fumbled with his seat belt and got to his feet, ignoring the many bruises and cuts that ran along his arms and side. All his joints moved well and with little pain, despite the crash landing. Really, aside from his splitting headache, he was quite lucky.

_ CLACK! _Alex nearly dropped to the ground at the sharp sound, and snapped to look to its source. A small brown and black bird had flown through the window and was staring at him from the headrest it was perched on. The young man and the small bird stared at each other for several moments before the creature returned its attention to the seat's exposed metal frame. It chirped at its own reflection and pecked at the metal again, producing that same _clack_. Alex just watched, somewhat in awe at the bird's casual attitude. _Couldn't it see that this was a crash site; that they needed help? _

Alex shook his head with exhaustion and tore his gaze from the bird. He knew it was just a bird... he was being irrational. He traced the ground with his eyes, eying the broken glass and torn fabric lying among bits of debris that he could only figure were part of the plane's more detailed workings. He continued scanning the ground, still only vaguely conscious of his situation.

_More glass, shattered plastic, a pair of legs._ His heart froze as his eyes locked onto the pair of legs protruding from a row of seats only a short distance away. He recognized the boots of the body to be those of his guide, the older man he had only met a few days earlier. He stepped towards the downed man with hesitation and fear of the unknown. In a way, not knowing was more settling to Alex than finding his guide to be dead.

Within a few steps however, it became clear to the him that the man had departed this life long ago; blood was pooled around his nose and mouth, staining his gray hair and running down to soak his shirt. With eyes wide with the blank stare of quiet intensity, the corpse stared up at the plane's ceiling, avoiding his observer's gaze.

Alex felt bile rise to his throat and dizziness sweep his skull. He had been around dead things before, he'd gone hunting, gutted his own animals, and eaten them. But a dead _man_ was something he hadn't seen before. He turned around, grabbing a nearby seat to steady himself and focused on a single piece of glass that caught the sunlight, brilliantly painting the debris around it with a vibrant rainbow.

"HELP!" He called again once he regained his composure. "Is anybody there?", He could feel panic start to set in and fought it with every fiber of his being; he had taken enough safety courses to know that sometimes shock and panic could be more dangerous than the actual injury or situation.

With controlled breathing to stem the unease, Alex maneuvered up the aisle, only to find two more bodies sprawled against the sides of the fuselage with similar wounds to the head. These two, however... he had _known_ them. They were his _friends_, very _good_ friends at that. It broke his heart to see them lying in such a twisted position.

In a flash, the events of the previous night shot back into his head. He remembered how they were scrambling back to their seats as the plane flew entered the unseen storm; the turbulence knocking them to the ground every time they stood. In a matter of moments the lights went out, making it near impossible for them to find anything to hold onto, let alone their way back to their seats. He remembered how he had tried to unbuckle from his own seat in order to help them, but kept losing grip on the release lever every time the turbulence hit. The chaos was short-lived, though. they hit the ground after only a few short minutes.

Alex shoved the hurtful memory aside and tore his stare from his friends' lifeless corpses. In a last ditch effort to find any survivor, Alex burst into the cockpit only to find the pilot skewered through the chest by an eight-inch branch from one of the many trees they had hit before skidding to a halt. The control panel was scorched from a small electrical fire, making any and all the equipment unusable and filling the small room with the stench of charred flesh. The smell was sickeningly overpowering and brought back his suppressed nausea. Breathing heavily and with trembling hands, Alex ducked out of the cockpit and moved as quickly as he could past his fallen friends towards the door. It was already partially bent outward and only took a single kick to open completely. The shaken teenager stumbled away from the wreck and fell into the dirt a few yards away, vomiting violently into the weeds.

He shakily lifted himself from the ground after a brief moment of recovery and looked at the plants he had just convulsed on. They were strange, very foreign to him. In fact, even the dirt was unusual, much more sandy and granulated than the dark rich soil of Midwestern America that he had grown up in.

Right... he thought silently and with slight cynicism, _Africa_. He had always wanted to be here, to camp in one of the last true wildernesses. He had wanted to experience what so few had felt and look upon the landscape of pure nature. Now, he only looked out at the stunning view that lay before him with distaste. Shining streams, lush vegetation, and protruding rock structures created a sight like none other, especially with the morning sun illuminating it all with its stunning light. He had come here to travel, to explore the wilderness with his friends and their guide... but not like this. He rolled over to sit on a small stone, placing his head in his hands.

As the sole survivor of the plane crash, and he knew he should feel relieved for his remarkable lack of injuries, but all Alex felt was immense guilt and sadness. There must have been _something_ he could have done, _something_ that could have saved them. Time became nonexistent as he sat there, lost in despair and self pity. On top of his loss, the situation seemed bleak; not only was he alone, but he was in the middle of _Africa_, one of the most brutal and unforgiving environments in the world. With the radio broken and the plane likely thrown off course from the storm, rescue would take an ungodly amount of time to find him, or more likely, they would never come.

No, he decided, he was on his own... and that thought stabbed his heart more deeply than any knife could have. His friends were dead, and he was alone. Time passed strangely, like in a dream. Soon though, Alex noticed the height of the sun and realized that he needed to start moving. He forced himself to rise and went to retrieve his stowed pack from the cargo hold. The following hours were spent burying the dead and taking inventory of his gear. He began to count his blessings as he spread out his equipment. He had come to Africa for some outdoors experience, so thankfully he had some helpful tools. Knife, cord, lighter, extra clothes; he was better prepared than most survivors were in similar circumstances. Normally these types of items would not be allowed anywhere near a plane, but the pilot was the owner and knew what they were planning on doing. He didn't mind as long as it wasn't in his carry-on bag. The night soon came and Alex laid down next to a small campfire.

He lay there for some time, unable to fall asleep amidst the strange noises of the savannah; growls, roars, buzzes, and yelps brought the land to life around him. He even had trouble closing his eyes; the sky was stunningly clear and the stars shone brilliantly as they twinkled in their eternal positions.

But yet... something was wrong. He could feel eyes on him, from all directions in the darkness around his fire. He rolled over and tried to ignore his uneasiness, but the feeling persisted; even grew in intensity. He just _knew _ there was something there, something at his feet.

A nearly silent breath made Alex's eyes snap open and he sat up with a start, cold sweat running down his back. A dark cat-like stood hardly three feet from him, its black eyes staring at him with an unwavering glare. Alex didn't know much about the African cats, but frankly he didn't care what kind this was. Lion, cheetah, leopard, tiger, or _housecat_, he was more concerned about what this animal's intentions were. It looked like it weighed a couple hundred pounds... _not_ something he wanted to fight. He struggled to control his breath as his heart raced, silently cursing himself for leaving his knife just slightly out of reach.

Their eyes locked, and Alex suddenly felt calmed. Something about the predator just seemed to speak to him, and something about _him_ seemed to calm the beast. It was strange, like some vague form of simple communication. _Its only curious..._ Alex realized slowly, reading the meaning in the animal's eyes.

All he could see was the black orbs of the cat's consciousness, all he could feel was the animal's inquisitiveness. _He understood it, and it understood him_. It was almost like they were _talking_.

"You're just wondering what I'm doing here," he said slowly. "Aren't you?"

The cat just kept staring, not fazed by his words. After a moment of silence, it turned away, effectively breaking their connection. It headed towards the tree line, nearly disappearing in the llong shadows of the night.

_"I don't have time for you."_

Alex blinked in mild shock at the voice. "W-what?" It sounded like it had come from the cat itself, that didn't make any sense! He rose to his feet as quickly as he could, but by the time he was up, the cat was gone. He stared into the darkness for some time, trying to understand it all. The cat didn't talk... that wasn't possible. _No, _ he decided, he was tired, shaken, and coping with a tragedy, he was just freaking himself out.

He slowly laid back down and tried to clear his thoughts, he wasn't going to lose himself on his first night, but then, maybe he already had.

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The early sunrise made Alex cringe and roll over. He slowly got up, ran his fingers through his short brown hair, and made sure all his equipment was still there. It was, and he loaded it all up into his backpack before looking over at the wreckage and the not too distant shallow graves of his friends. A tear formed itself in his eye, but he wiped it away. He didn't have the luxury of sadness now; he needed to get to safety. The young man pulled the backpack onto his shoulders and looked out across the extensive terrain before him, the humid air creating a layer of haze over the brilliant sunrise. For a brief moment, he looked at the land with appreciation, both for its beauty and for its independence. But soon enough, reality and his situation set back in.

He figured that the nearest village couldn't be too far away, and he was better off just looking for help. He started walking; following a small stream that ran at a reasonable pace. Water, he had learned early on in the Midwest, almost always led to civilization. But the only way to get there was by walking. He rested periodically and ate some familiar plants to stave off his gnawing hunger. The land was reasonably flat and clear from any thick vegetation, but the summer heat and humidity soon began to wear on his seventeen year-old body.

As he walked he thought about his life back home. His parents would be worried out of their minds, as would his teachers, or at least the ones that liked him. His friends would care, as would most of his class, but ultimately it didn't matter if anyone cared. They couldn't help him, he was alone and he knew that he needed to come to terms with that.

Eventually, Alex made his way to the top of one of the only hills in the area and looked out at the stunning view of the lush valley before him. A herd of antelope grazed in the distance as the sun beat down on their golden backs. The sapphire sky was dotted with exotic birds that cried out to each other with their own unique calls. Suddenly Alex didn't feel so bad. His friends and family couldn't help him now, but maybe they already had. His dad taught him how to hunt and take care of himself. His teachers challenged his intelligence and made him build on his existing inventiveness. Hell, he had even gained a solid foundation in Kung Fu a few years back before he left the States; granted, there weren't many people to fight out here, but the knowledge comforted him nonetheless. Maybe he'd be alright.

As he was walking he picked up a stick and started whittling. In not too much time he had removed the bark and removed its defects. Alex started spinning his new staff, practicing a few nearly forgotten techniques as he walked. Its weight and balance became familiar in his hands and soon he held it like he had used it all his life. Truly, he had loved Kung Fu and the martial arts in general, but the past year of college-searching and grade management had steered him away from it all. Holding the staff in his hand again... it just felt _right_. Like it was something he had been missing in his life until now. Its familiarity was comforting, like a friendly handshake of sorts.

Despite his rising mood, Alex began to grow tired in the unforgiving environment. He wasn't used to the climate, it was just so different than what he was used to. He spotted a small patchwork of rocks, and decided to rest there for a few moments before continuing on into what looked like a thicker part of the land. Small trees dotted the savannah, hiding much of the nearby terrain. But he would figure that all out later, for now, he just needed to rest.

His body had just barely touched the nearest stone when a shriek split the calm morning from somewhere in the foliage. Alex froze and listened for it again.

"HELP!" came the voice a second time, it sounded like a young girl. He didn't spend hardly a second planning his actions; Alex just bolted towards the noise as fast as he could. He sprinted through the savannah brush, not caring as the branches and leaves struck his body. It wasn't long before he burst into a small clearing; freezing with shock and surprise. A small lion cub was backing up against a small set of rocks as a group of four hyenas advanced towards her.

Alex just stood there with confusion at the scene as the small cub looked at him with desperate eyes, seeming to beg him for help.

Then, to his amazement, she spoke. "Help, please!" she squeaked in a timid voice.

He looked to the hyenas, eying their bared teeth with apprehension.

"What buddy?" asked one of the hyenas with a devious grin. "You got somtin ta say?"

"Back Off!" demanded Alex. He had no idea what in hell was going on, but he wasn't about to let a bunch of dogs kill a cub. He dropped his bag and tightened his grip on the staff. _God he hoped that they didn't have much fight in them_.

"Okay tough guy, I'll play wit ya!" said another hyena it turned towards the teenager.

Alex watched with dread as the it lunged towards him. He was surprised at how clumsy the beast was, but still quite afraid of the jaw-full of teeth that was flying towards him. Alex only did what he knew to do; he brought his staff up, sharply swinging the end of it outwards and making contact with the hyena's side. The blow sent him sprawling to the side and caught the attention of the other three, clearly surprising them all. In a flash, they were on him, growling and lunging with the ferocity that was to be expected of wild animals. Alex struck out at them with powerful strikes, each movement flowing into the next, just as he had been taught. They fell away easy enough, but they kept getting up! The first stricken Hyena got back up and charged him from behind, making enough noise to catch the teenager's attention. Alex turned and got his staff up to block, but was still knocked to the ground by the animal's weight. He kept its jaws away from his exposed throat with the staff, barely keeping his face away from the beast's snapping jaws.

After a brief moment of struggle, Alex managed to bring his foot up into the hyena's underside and forcefully kicked the dog over his head. Unfortunately, the hyena didn't relax its grip on Alex's staff and pulled it out of his hands. Realizing his sudden disadvantage, Alex quickly got to his feet to meet the next attacker that was coming at him. He threw his bodyweight forward behind his fist and punched the hyena with enough force to drop it to the ground. The two others that were not reeling in pain charged. He was able to kick the first one away, but the second hyena bit into his left forearm and held on tightly. He quickly drew his knife from his belt and thrust it into the creature's shoulder as strongly as he could. It wasn't a mortal wound by any means, but it was enough pain to make the Hyena release his arm. Wanting his longer weapon back, Alex leapt towards his staff and rolled to avoid an attack from one of the returning hyenas. He grabbed it off the ground and went on guard facing the four assailants, each of which looked at the stick with fear. They now knew the damage it could inflict, and wanted nothing more to do with it. The teenager watched with vague amusement as they slowly began to back up towards the shrubbery, sneering at him as they went.

Once he was sure that they were gone and he had caught his breath, Alex turned to the young cub who was still huddling under the boulders.

"A-are you okay?" he asked feeling a bit ridiculous for addressing a lion cub. He prayed that she wouldn't answer, that he hallucinated the whole dialogue from before

"Are… are you going to hurt me?" asked the little thing as she looked up at him with fearful eyes.

"What? No, of course not." Alex said softly. "What's your name? Do you live around here?" He slowly walked towards her and knelt down to meet her gaze.

"I'm N-nala… I live that way." she responded timidly as she pointed shakily off to into the distance.

"Well Nala, my name's Alex. How about we go find your parents and get you home?"

She smiled a quietly. "I think that's a good idea." she said as and started walking the way she pointed. With each step she seemed to regain her confidence. "That was pretty cool how you beat them up...I can't wait to tell Simba!"

Alex laughed to himself at how easily she shook of her fear and followed her down what seemed to be a narrow foot trail. He winced as he wrapped his bleeding forearm with some scrap cloth; it didn't look too bad, but he didn't want an infection. As they walked, Nala told Alex all about the Pridelands, which he assumed to be her home. in exchange, he told her about his home, and fascinated her with the stories of cities and lights.

"But how do you get the light into the glass ball?" she asked.

"It's really complicated" he struggled, "I don't really understand it myself, but it works and it keeps it light at night." His answer seemed to satisfy her because she quickly changed the subject.

"HEY! Let's play tag!"

Alex blinked. "What?"

She clearly didn't care much for his confusion. "You're it!" Without another word Nala jumped into the bushes and vanished.

Alex sighed reluctantly, but dropped his pack and ran in after her. It was a bit harder for him to navigate the bushes than the smaller cub, but managed. After a few minutes of searching he found under a small tree holding perfectly still as she stared out at the grass. He was impressed by her discipline and paused a moment before running at her. Nala saw him burst from the grass and yelped in excitement. Nala tried to run but slipped on the dirt and fell at the teenager's feet.

Alex laughed quietly and tapped her forehead. "Now you're it!" She grinned as he started walking back towards his backpack. She ran close to his legs, made him trip as he bumped into her. They both went sprawling into the soft grass, rolling a short distance before coming to a stop. They looked at each other briefly with surprise before bursting into laughter.

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Nala had apparently wandered quite far from her home because even after an hour of walking did she point out the still distant spire of stone she called home. It was a stunning sight, seeming to touch the sky in some incredible monument to the gods. Much to Alex's amusement, the young lion kept coming up with new games to occupy their time with. After some time however, the physical toll of the trip began to wear on her.

"Hey Alex?" she said softly. "Could you carry me?"

Alex blinked in a moment of pause. "You want me to _carry_ you?"

She nodded hopefully. "Pleeeeaaaaase? I'm tired."

Alex just grinned widely and suppressed a chuckle at the young cub. "Alright, alright."

Nala smiled as he leaned down to scoop her up in his arms. She seemed quite content and awake in his arms for a while, but she soon fell asleep from exhaustion. He fell into step with her rhythmic breathing and soft purrs. Her soft fur felt pleasant on Alex's neck, and he smiled to himself at how quickly she had crashed from her previous state of excitement. After about an hour Nala awoke and got down, rejuvenated from her nap.

Her timing was good, they were just nearing the base of Priderock and where her family supposedly was. Alex trailed slightly behind his new friend as she started walking faster and began calling for her parents excitedly. The teenager felt his heart start to beat a bit faster and noticed his palms starting to sweat. He liked Nala, but he wasn't sure if her parents would feel the same way. He had heard too many stories of people getting killed by animals for getting in between them and their young.

"MOM!...MOM!" she called like a young human child.

"I guess a kid's a kid no matter the species." muttered Alex to himself in amusement. An adult lioness trotted over towards them from the direction of the rock, and Alex became aware of multiple others lying in the shade of nearby trees.

"Nala! There you are! We were looking all over for yo…." Nala's apparent mother froze as she made contact with Alex. Her eyes narrowed and her ears folded tight to her head. Alex tightened his grip on his staff, growing more nervous as more of the nearby lionesses noticed the unwanted human in their presence.

"Mom!" started Nala, talking far too fast to be understood, "Iwaswalkingonthetrailand …

"Woah Nala, slow down." demanded her mother, never breaking eye contact with Alex, who was beginning to question the wisdom of taking Nala home. Nala took a deep breath and started again.

"Okay. I was walking on the trail by the waterhole and a bunch of Hyenas started chasing me. They almost got me, but Alex came out and beat them up! They were gonnaattack me buthenhecame! It was awesome!" She paused to catch her breath again and Alex took the opportunity to explain himself.

"I just wanted to uh…. make sure she got home safely. If you…uh…. could point me towards the nearest human village, I'll head out."

Nala's mother relaxed slightly, seeing the nervousness in the young man's eyes. "My name is Sarafina... thank you for helping my daughter." she began slowly. "As far as villages go, I don't know of any very nearby. Perhaps you could talk to our queen, Sarabi. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to her."

Alex nodded, still visibly uncomfortable, and started off towards a small path leading up Priderock, frequently looking over her shoulder at Alex in an attempt to figure him out.

Alex followed Sarafina and Nala who was entertaining herself by running in between both her mother's and Alex's legs, periodically making them stumble over her. Alex was very aware of the many lionesses staring at him as he walked toward the base of the massive rock. He was stunned by its many caves that ringed the base and was amazed at the depth of some of them. They seemed to sink into the stone like the remnants of some prehistoric worm of sorts. A quickening of light feet made Alex look up ahead in time to see Nala running ahead towards an older lioness sunbathing on one of the larger rocks.

"Hey, Mrs. Sarabi?" asked Nala politely, "Is Simba back from the thing with his dad yet?"

"Not yet my dear." She responded just as politely. "And where have you been all morning?"

"Fighting hyenas!" Sarabi chuckled in amusement, not having noticed Alex yet.

"Did you get a bunch of the mangy things?"

"No, they were trying to eat me, Alex fought them all!" Nala gestured towards Alex, causing Sarabi's face to pale a bit, despite the fur, as she realized that Nala was not playing pretend.

"Sarabi, this is Alex," Sarafina introduced. "He fought off the hyenas that were attacking Nala." Sarabi's expression softened as she rose from her spot on the rock.

"Well then in that case, you have our thanks Alex."

"It was no problem," he said, gaining confidence with her praise. "I was looking for a nearby human settlement if you could direct me to one." Sarabi frowned and looked towards the horizon.

"I think you may be out of luck young man. There was a small tribe of Swahili towards the sunrise, but they left many years ago. The closest village is over a week away and it isn't accessible this time of year. The River has swollen and is too wild to cross. I'm sorry." Alex's hopes sunk with her words and he struggled to find the proper thanks.

"Uh…. Okay. Thank you…. I'll… I'll just go I guess."

"Mom? Why can't he stay here?" piped up Nala. "He _did_ save my life!" Sarabi and Sarafina smiled at Nala and then at each other. Sarabi turned to Alex.

"I don't see why he couldn't. After all, he _is_ our guest. However, it's not up to me, it's up to Mufasa. We'll ask him when he gets back."

"Thank you very much... I really aprec…"

"Can Alex come play with me? PLEEEEAAAASE?" Nala interrupted.

"You are very welcome Alex, and yes Nala, you can go play." Sarabi smiled with the patience only a mother could possess. Alex followed Nala towards a shady group of trees and started thinking. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about staying with a pride of lion; they all seemed nice enough, but it just seemed downright _dangerous_. What if they got hungry in the middle of the night and wanted a snack? Would he stay the honored guest that he was now? Or would he become an entrée? One or two hyenas was fine, but he doubted he could even _injure_ a single lion if it came down to a fight for survival.

But then, he had to address the issue he had been shoving to the back of his mind; they could _talk!_ If this was a dream or hallucination, it was more vivid and realistic than anything he had experienced before. No, he decided, this was real life and though it seemed impossible, he was here and it was happening. Better to just accept it and move on than to drive himself crazy trying to rationalize it. For now, he was going to enjoy himself as best he could. Nala was just too funny to keep a smile off his face.

The two of them played for some time under the trees, Nala pouncing on Alex's hand and repeatedly beating him in tag. Her bottomless pool of energy reminded him of his late friends and sent a wave of grief over him. _He didn't cry when they died_, he realized suddenly. _But he couldn't do it now, not in front of Nala._

Still, his sudden sadness was too much to hide altogether.

"Why are so sad all of a sudden? Are you crying?" she asked with confusion.

"It's nothing," he lied while regaining control, "M-my eyes just aren't used to the air around here. Lots of p-pollen and stuff." Although the memories were so close to the surface, Alex chose to avoid them for Nala's sake. He didn't want to upset her with stories of the dead; this was his problem. It took him a moment, to fully recover, but after a moment he was able to insist with confidence that he was alright, and the two resumed their playing. They continued at it for almost an hour until Sarafina called down to them.

"Nala! Bring Alex up here, Mufasa and Simba are back!

The cub took off at a speedy pace while Alex climbed the rocks slowly, getting more nervous as he gained elevation. Nala's parents were nice, but Mufasa was a _male_ lion who might feel threatened by another male in the area, even if the other male wasn't of the same species. He remembered reading how lions were extremely territorial and trespassing into one's domain could easily lead to the violator's death. _He really hoped he was wrong_. As he pulled his body over the last ledge he became aware of Sarabi's voice.

"…was looking for a nearby human village but I told him there wasn't any for quite a ways. Nala was hoping he could stay with us." Alex realized she must have just finished relaying the day's events to Mufasa. As he rose to his feet, his eyes met those of a massive red-maned lion. The beast was incredible, towering over him with paws the size of dinner plates. Alex had no doubt that it could easily decapitate him with a single swing of his cunning claws. Mufasa stared at Alex for a moment, studying him slowly, and Alex did likewise. After he got over the sheer size of the lion, he noticed the subtle softness of his deep brown eyes that seemed to peer into his soul. Despite his tremendous size, there was a distinct lack of hostility in his demeanor.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Alex, welcome to our kingdom." began Mufasa with a deep and commanding voice that reminded Alex of Darth Vader.

"Likewise, Sir." answered Alex, unsure of how to address the lion king. It must have been appropriate because Mufasa smiled gently at the gesture.

"This is my son, Simba." he said, looking down at the cub at his feet.

Alex smiled and nodded to the cub; he couldn't have been much older than Nala. "Nice to meet you, Simba."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Alex." Simba replied with forced politeness. Clearly he had other things on his mind. "_Now _can I go find Nala, Dad?"

Mufasa chuckled with amusement. "Yes, yes. You've been very patient all day, go ahead."

Alex watched as Simba ran off, quickly being ambushed by a hiding Nala. The two went rolling out of sight as they wrestled each other.

"Let's take a walk." Mufasa stated simply to Alex, waking him from his brief focus.

The teenager paused for a moment before starting after Mufasa into the savannah while the sun was still high.

After several minutes of walking, the two were far out in the grass and free from any distractions. "I really don't mean to intrude;" Alex started. "I just was looking for some sort of direction."

The king shook his head. "Don't be apologetic, you saved my future daughter in-law and kicked out those poachers. If anyone is to be gracious it should be me." Mufasa's logic was hard to refute so Alex didn't press it further. "What I'm really curious about is how you got here. There aren't any villages nearby, so where exactly did you come from?" The painful memories resurfaced as Alex contemplated the question. He took a deep breath and began.

"I was traveling with some friends…. and we were in an accident. I was the only one left, and I shouldn't have been." He shut his eyes in an effort to prevent the flow of tears. "I should have helped them… but I wasn't able too." Despite his efforts, tears began to well up in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. It's always difficult losing someone you care about." Mufasa gazed far off into the distance as if remembering some long ago event. "Always thinking of how you could have done something differently, something to change, something to _fix_. But in the end there's nothing you can do except pray for them and accept that you did your best under the circumstances and move on."

Alex was surprised by the lion's words. "I guess you guys deal with death a lot out here."

"More than we'd like too, but it's a part of our lives. We couldn't live if we didn't kill the antelope, nor could they live without killing the grass. We live in a careful balance of life and death; living to kill other creatures, and dying to keep them alive. If any one species in the kingdom becomes too large, or takes in too much, it compromises the well being of the entire Pridelands. We have to keep the balance, or let the kingdom die."

Alex was interested in Mufasa's philosophy and waited for him to tell more, but he didn't. Instead he steered the conversation back towards Alex.

"What do you think about life and death Alex? You fought those hyenas without mercy and risked your life to save a little cub. How do you explain that?"

Alex was silent for a while before he answered. He wasn't used to people asking him about his core beliefs on life and death.

"Ummm... well the way I see it, we all have a responsibility to help each other no matter the risk…. I mean, no one wants to die, but sometimes someone has to sacrifice for the good of others. I'm not afraid to die, and I'm not afraid to stop someone who wants to hurt someone else…." Alex sighed, carefully piecing together his next words. "I guess I'm okay with being the guy who's called on to do the more dangerous stuff because I know that I can handle it better than most.

Mufasa smiled. "You would have made a very good lion, had your parents been a bit furrier." His comment made Alex grin softly.

"You're a lot more... _social_ than most other humans." the king added with careful wording. "Most of your kind avoid us at all cost."

Alex snorted quietly. "Most people aren't able to _talk_ to lions... frankly, I haven't a clue as to what's going on here."

Mufasa nodded understandingly. "It's no secret that humans have detached themselves from the more _natural _world."

"Yea, but it's still pretty ridiculous... I mean, this is something straight out of a _Disney_ movie."

Mufasa frowned. "_Disney_?"

"Never mind... it's not important." Alex sighed. "What I mean is that I just wish I knew _how _I can understand you all."

"Maybe you just learned how to _listen_." the king replied softly, turning his gaze to the gently flowing river that they were walking along.

Alex nodded softly at his remark. Really though, he didn't care all that much. The vast beauty of the Pridelands was stunning to the foreigner, forcing his thoughts to the more immediate landscape.

It wasn't long before the conversation shifted to the kingdom. Alex had many questions regarding the animals and the land that Mufasa was pleased to answer. Alex would have thought that the king would have grown irritable with all the conversation, but instead he was very patient and even seemed to be enjoying himself as the sun started to set. The human and lion duo were on their way back to Priderock deep in conversation when Zazu showed up.

"Sire! I've been looking all over for you!" exclaimed the bird with stressed impatience.

"What's the matter Zazu? Is everyone alright?" Mufasa's casual attitude had been replaced with a new authoritative demeanor that reminded Alex of the lion's distinct position of leadership.

"They're fine for the moment sire, but the elephants are waiting for your decision regarding their new trail! You need to get back to them immediately!" Mufasa sighed irritably, clearly annoyed by Zazu's unnecessary urgency.

Alex suppressed his laughter at the horbill's fretting for fear of insulting the bird.

"I'll deal with that tomorrow; right now we're heading home."

"But sire!"

"Not now Zazu, I'm tired. Fly back to Priderock and tell Sarabi to prepare a spot for Alex tonight." He turned to face the teenager and continued. "You can sleep in the main cave with the pride tonight; tomorrow we'll find you an unoccupied cave for you to have a more permanent residence." Zazu flew away reluctantly and soon disappeared into the dimming light that painted the grassland a deep hue of orange.

"Thanks Mufasa, but really I can't stay long; I need to find a village or somewhere to contact my family."

"When the west river calms at the end of the season I'll show you to the village, but until then I insist that you stay with us. It's too dangerous to do anything else." It was obvious that Mufasa had made up his mind about the matter, so Alex simply accepted the terms. After all, this _was_ his land; if he said it was too dangerous, Alex would be a fool to challenge it.

It didn't take long for the two of them to arrive back at Priderock where they found Sarabi and the cubs waiting for them. Nala jumped to her feet at the sight of Alex and pranced towards her new friend. Simba followed a little behind her, though clearly more interested with his father than in Alex.

"My mom said he can sleep next to us! This is gonna be soooooo much fun!" Nala exclaimed, obviously ecstatic over having gained a new playmate.

"Go ahead and follow her, she knows where to go." smiled Mufasa. "And goodnight."

"Thank you," Alex responded. "I'll see you in the morning." and turned to follow Nala. She led him to the main cave in the massive spire of rock and showed him where she and Sarafina slept. It was surprisingly warm among the other bodies and Alex began to relax his tensions as he lay on the smooth stone not too far away from the rest of the pride. Clearly, these lions were not the bloodthirsty beasts that he had feared them to be. In fact, they were a bit more decent than a lot of _people_ he had met back home.

_For being stranded in the middle of Africa, _he thought as he began to drift off to sleep, _this wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been._

*****End of Chapter 1*****


	2. Chapter 2: Transition and Tragedy

*****Chapter 2*****

*****Transition and Tragedy*****

_Yesterday, a child came out to wander,_

_Caught a dragonfly inside a jar._

_Fearful, when the sky was full of thunder,_

_And tearful at the falling of a star._

_-Circle Game by Joni Mitchell_

Alex awoke to find the cave almost empty and felt a soft breeze pass through the air. Three older lionesses lay sleeping in the corner, enjoying their old-age privileges with their recently born grandchildren; the cubs ran about joyfully, pouncing on anything and everything while their grandparents watched with amusement. Several other lionesses lay asleep near him; he made a mental note to be quiet for them. Sunlight radiated into the cave from the entrance, giving the cave a vague hue of reflected golden light, and he became aware of how late he must have slept; the sun had clearly been up for some time. The young man promptly rose from his slab of stone that had served him well as a bed, and reached over for his pack. After a brief moment of rummaging through his meager belongings, he pulled out a rag. It was a little dusty, but far cleaner than the one that he currently had wrapped around his wounded arm. He started to remove the old dressing from his arm slowly, being painfully aware of the damage the Hyena's jaw did to it; the flesh was torn and ragged, but it still didn't look that bad. Still though, it hurt a lot to just press on the wrapping. He tried very hard to remain silent for the sleeping lionesses, but the pain became a bit much for him.

"_Aaaah_!" Alex groaned quietly as the dried blood peeled from his wound, taking some of his freshly forming scab with it. Fresh blood began to pool in the deeper spots, but quickly hid it all under the clean cloth.

Once it his new bandage was fastened to his liking, he looked over to the nearby lionesses. To his relief, the lionesses were still sleeping and oblivious to his existence. Waking them would have provided quite the awkward moment, and he was grateful for not having to do so. After gathering his pack and used bandages, he started off towards the cave's entrance, still being very careful to stay silent. Once outside, he looked over the lip of the great stone monument and gazed upon the stunning view before him. He was alone at the cave's mouth, but somehow this incredible sight satisfied him. The risen sun illuminated the savannah and revealed the serenity of a land without human influence. Not that man-kind couldn't make beautiful things, but there was something distinctly tranquil about a land that was untouched by the hand of man.

"Another stunning view…" Alex muttered to no one in particular. He hoped that the scene would not become too redundant if he stayed in Africa too long. He loved these sorts of sights, but he knew that it was easy to take them for granted if they were always around.

"Isn't though?" A deep satirical voice behind him startled Alex and made him turn. A deep brown scrawny lion slithered from the shadow of a large boulder to stand near him.

"Um... yea." Alex stammered, slightly surprised by the unseen lion.

"My brother made it _very_ clear when he spoke to me that you are an honored _guest_ for the time being and I just wanted to extend myself to welcome you to the Pridelands. My name is Scar."

His name fit well, considering the large vertical scar that ran over the lion's left eye. Despite the politeness there was an eerie feeling that Alex got from talking to the marred creature. It seemed as though he was hiding something, but Alex couldn't begin to fathom what.

"Thank you… I-I really feel welcome here. Mufasa is a great king."

"Yeeeessssssssss….." came the faintly sarcastic reply, "There is _nothing_ he can't do, and his son, oh his _son_. Simba will one day _follow_ in his father's paw prints."

"Well... it was good to meet you" Alex said, excusing himself from the strange conversation, perhaps a bit abruptly. Alex felt uneasy around Scar, he was just... not sincere.

"Be careful out there" called Scar, the Pridelands aren't always as kind as they appear to the eye… _Especially_ on a beautiful morning like this….."

Alex waved back over his shoulder at the dark lion as he descended the pathways to the base of Pride Rock. He quickly noticed the countless stares from the many lions, curious of their new guest. It was intimidating to say the least, to be the focus of so many carnivores' attention. Despite his rising heartbeat, he kept his cool as he searched the area for the familiar lions. After just a short while he identified the pale tan pelts of Sarabi and Sarafina gazing at the horizon, discussing the day's plan. He greeted them as he approached.

"Alex!" Sarabi acknowledged "we were just talking about you."

"All good things I hope." Alex smiled casually, hiding his nervousness. It would not be a good thing if everyone was talking about him behind his back already.

"Of course" replied Sarafina with a smile, putting his mind at ease. "In fact, we were just talking about the cave Nala found for you. It's not too far from the main cave, and it would fit you well."

Nala ran over from the corner of their vision and promptly inserted herself into the conversation. "It's really cool!" There's little holes in the walls that you can put stuff in, and a skylight in the back!" as she spoke, Nala spun her body in little excited circles, but never broke eye contact with Alex. "And in the back there's this little spring that fills up this little pool!"

Alex grinned, it sounded interesting. "Well that sounds grea-"

"MOM!" Nala exclaimed in the middle of Alex's statement. "Can I go show Alex the cave right _now_?"

Alex and the other lions smiled at her sheer excitement as Nala wove herself in between their legs, begging for permission with her purrs. Sarabi and Sarafina exchanged a glance of agreement before Sarafina replied with stifled amusement.

"Alright, go ahead and show him."

"YYYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Nala nearly did a black flip out of joy and led Alex away toward the cave that seemed to satisfy her wildest dreams.

The two mothers watched them leave and paused for several moments of silence, each thinking the same thing.. "They are going to get to be very good friends if he stays here a while." Sarafina mused with casual amusement.

Sarabi returned her gaze to the horizon and agreed. "I'm alright with them getting close."

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

"Come on! It's over here!" Nala yelled back to Alex on the way to his cave. She was able to nimbly leap over the small obstacles along the way, but the larger human had to move at a slightly slower pace, being burdened by his backpack and the brush in his way. Alex watched his step carefully as they proceeded along the side of Priderock. The trail remained level enough, but the slope to the right grew steeper and steeper with each step. A fall probably wouldn't have killed him, but a nasty injury was almost guaranteed.

"Hurry u-_OOF_" Nala was cut off as a golden furball tackled her from behind a rock, sending her sprawling. She rose to meet her attacker with eagerness and lunged at him with a glint of excitement in her eye. Alex quickly recognized the young prince and just stood a short distance away, smiling gently at the playful wrestling. Within a brief moment, the two cubs became a uniform mass of tumbling fur, kicking up a thin layer of dust that had been laying on the rarely used trail.

"THUMP" As the dust cleared, Alex was able to make out Nala's form standing above Simba's.

"No fair!" yelled Simba from underneath his friend's paws.

"What do you mean not fair?" declared Nala indignantly, "You snuck up on _me_, so _you_ had the advantage!"

"Well you always do that thing with the flip and the pin and stuff!" Simba said vaguely as he stood up.

"Well it _works_ doesn't it? Maybe if you tried harder and used some moves other than just blindly charging, you'd be more of a challenge."

"Whatever." The male cub responded sulkily.

Alex shook off his grin and stepped towards them. "Come on guys, play nice." He told them, unsure of how to break up a fight between two lion cubs.

They both lifted their paws to blame the other, but Alex cut them off. "I don't care who started it, let's just keep going." With that, he stepped over them and kept moving down the trail.

The two cubs frowned at each other for a moment, but soon started off after Alex. Though the tenseness between the two was clear, Simba's curiosity of their destination eventually overpowered his resentment of Nala and he broke the silence.

"So where exactly are we going?"

"I'm showing Alex the cave he's gonna live in for a while"

"That sounds boring." Simba groaned.

"Nu-uh!" Nala retorted. "It's really cool. Just wait 'till you see it!"

Simba shrugged. "Okay I guess... So you're staying with us Alex?"

"I guess so, your dad was pretty great about it all."

"Where did you come from? Did you just fall out of the sky, or what?"

"Something like that." Alex replied shortly, not really wanting to explain to the young cubs the painful details of his crash. He knew it went against all advice he had ever heard, but it was a lot less painful to just pretend like it never happened. He just didn't want any reminders of the crash.

Eager to avoid more pressing questions, he steered the conversation to something else. "I'm from a place where we don't live like this. In a way it's actually really refreshing to be away from _people_."

"My dad says that humans are just misguided." Said Simba.

"That's probably a good way to put it." Alex replied. "It's easy for us to get off track and screw up."

"Have you ever gotten off track?" he asked curiously.

Alex grinned, "Yea, but not too badly."

"Here it is!" Nala declared as she ran around behind a boulder. Alex and Simba followed her around the massive object and into a seven foot opening in the rock. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Alex began to survey the cave. It was plenty tall enough for him to stand and definitely wide enough to move around in easily. Thirty feet back he could see a bright opening in the ceiling that he took to be the skylight Nala had been talking about. He stepped forward onto the damp stone and instantly felt the temperature drop from the stifling the outside humidity to the refreshing coolness of Priderock. As he neared the opening in the ceiling, he noticed the stream that that appeared in the back corner and disappeared in the opposite cave wall. The crystal clear water was nearly invisible as it ran over the dark stone.

"Isn't this AWESOME?" Nala screamed, being instantly startled by her own echo.

"How come we never found this before?" asked Simba.

"Because _you_ never like to hang around Priderock, you always want to go somewhere crazy like that elephant graveyard the other day."

The smile vanished from Simba's face. "I said I was really sorry about that…" he said with regret that Alex had not heard before. "It was dumb and I shouldn't have-"

"And I told _you_ not to worry about it!" responded Nala playfully. "It's _fine_."

Alex wasn't sure exactly what they were talking about, but he didn't press the issue. It seemed a bit personal, so he preoccupied himself with unpacking instead. As he was scattering his belongings around the cave, he removed his knife and set it on a large slab of nearby stone.

"What's that?" asked Nala, as she jumped up onto the rock.

"It's my knife." he replied simply as he removed the blade from its sheath and allowed her to look at it from a better angle. The black iodized blade was narrow and long, yet strong and durable. The bladed side was straight until its last inch where it sharply angled up to meet the other side in a sharp point. "I got it a few years back, and its worked really well for me." He looked back at the two cubs and judged from their blank looks that they still didn't know what it was. "Okay", he started over, "I hold it here and use the metal end to cut things." He gripped the handle and demonstrated by making slashing movements through the air. "It's really sharp and really strong." kind of like your claws."

"Oh!" said Simba, finally understanding the concept, "You don't have claws or teeth or anything, so you made something that you can use instead."

"Right."

"That's really smart" observed Nala.

Simba eyed the blade with awe for a moment before his eyes lit up. "Have you ever killed anythin-"

"Ah, _there_ you are Simba." came a slimy voice dripping with false relief that sent chills down Alex's back. "I have been looking _all_ over for you."

Alex and the cubs looked over to the mouth of the cave to see Scar's dark form approaching them.

"Hey Uncle Scar!" replied Simba, "Do you want to play with us?"

Alex could have sworn that he saw a sharp sneer on the corners of the lion's mouth, but it was gone as soon as it appeared.

"Actually I was coming to see if you wanted to do something with _me_."

"Really, what?" Simba was clearly surprised, as was Alex; Scar did not seem like the type of uncle to look for a playmate.

"Well, your father and I have a simply _fantastic_ surprise for you over in the gorge if you would like to come see it."

"That sounds so cool! Whatisit whatisit whatisit wha-"

"ENOUGH!" boomed Scar, "I mean, um, you'll have to see it once we get there…"

"Okay! Let's go right now!" exclaimed Simba enthusiastically before turning back to face Nala and Alex. "If I can I'll bring some of whatever it is back for you guys!" Nala smiled and Alex nodded.

"Well let's get moving; we don't want to keep your father waiting." Scar said between his teeth.

Something was clearly off, but Alex did not have the slightest clue as to what it could be. Maybe the surprise _was_ really cool, or maybe it was a surprise to Mufasa as well. Or maybe Scar was just a weirdo. Yea, now that he thought about it, that was the most probable answer.

Once Simba and his uncle had disappeared from sight, Nala turned to her new friend. "So what now?"

"Well..." Alex began as he looked out over the cave. "I think I'm going to find something soft for that rock."

"To sleep on?"

"Yea, I can't deal with the cold stone like you all can."

She looked at him with confusion. "Why not?"

"Cause I'm not _fluffy_ like you are!" he exclaimed as he ruffled her fur, making the cub smile with amusement. "Now come on, I don't want to take forever with this."

Nala nodded and followed him out of the cave in search of the grass. They managed to find a nearby patch of foliage on the side of the stone slope, and began gathering it all for the padding. It took many bundles of grass, but eventually the bedding was finished and the two friends laid down on the improvised mattress.

"This is _sooooooooooo_ comfy!" she remarked as she arched her back in pleasure. "Can I spend the night in here tonight with you?"

Alex nodded, "Sure, if your mom is okay with it. We should ask Scar if he wants to come too, I'm sure it would be fun to share a bed with him." He laughed as he watched Nala look at him and involuntarily gag.

He laughed at her reaction and closed his eyes for a moment, suddenly tired. He could feel Nala's eyes on him, searching his face for the answer to her unasked question.

"Alex?" she asked after several moments of silence.

"Yea?"

"You have home don't you?"

He didn't open his eyes. "Yea... but it's really far away from here."

"And you have a family there?"

"Yea."

'"Do you miss them?"

"Of course I do."

The confusion was apparent on her face. "Then why are you here?"

_Right..._ he remembered. _She didn't know anything about the crash._ He opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, fighting any emotion that threatened to crack his voice. "I'm only here by accident... I _want_ to go home, but I can't until the river calms down.

"What do you mean by _accident?_" she asked slowly. "Did something happen?"

"I-I..." he stammered uncomfortably. "I don't really want to talk about it, Nala."

She frowned, clearly disappointed, but nodded in understanding. "Okay... we can talk about something else."

He smiled softly. "Thanks, that sounds like a good idea."

Her eyes widened with excitement. "Let's talk about the hyenas you beat up!"

Alex couldn't help but laugh. "Fine, let's talk about that."

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

Nala and Alex returned to the base of Priderock's main cave just as Sarafina woke from a short nap. The sun was not terribly hot yet, but the progression from morning to afternoon was becoming increasingly noticeable. The shadows were reappearing from their midday hiding spots and all the animals seemed to be descending into lethargy.

"Hello you two," greeted Nala's mother to the both of them, then solely to Alex: "Did you settle into the cave well?"

"Yea, thanks for setting me up with that."

"Mom, Can I stay in the cave with Alex tonight? PLLEEEEEEEEEAAA AAAAASSSSEEEEEE ?"

"We'll see…" Sarafina replied hesitantly. "But right now it's time for your bath young lady!" Against Nala's wishes and despite her protests, she was scooped up in her mother's mouth.

"Nooooo!"

"Yes." replied Sarafina simply. "Now stop wriggling, you _are_ getting a bath."

She groaned in irritation, eyeing Alex with an annoyed glance.

He only grinned at her as her mother's tongue ran along her face, pulling at her cheek as it went.

"I'll catch up with you later, Alex..." she said with distaste.

Sarafina rolled her eyes. "It won't take thatlong, it's not like you're getting _surgery _or anything."

"I'll just walk around, I guess." Alex agreed. "I still don't really know my way around here that well."

"Well have fun, feel free to go wherever you want."

Alex nodded a thanks and started off around Priderock with plans to circle the entire thing. He followed the well worn ground, passing a lion every so often with little incident. They didn't seem to notice him all that much, those that did nodded in greeting, but that was about it.

It was weird, without Nala, Alex felt somewhat lost in the lions' home. Granted she was young, but she knew everyone and they all knew her. She knew all the paths and walkways and how to behave in this setting. Without her, he was just blindly wandering along, unsure of his surroundings.

After some time of walking, he decided to drop the idea of circling the whole rock and just sat on a small ledge that looked out over the pride's main area. It was a pretty sight, one that any National Geographic photographer would kill for. He watched small cubs play with their mothers and the older lionesses planning the evening's hunt. He liked how it seemed that everyone was doing something productive and playing a part to keep the pride going. From what he could see, there was a simple expectation of duty that was upheld in this family that would have been the envy of many human societies. Even within the hunting party, he was able to discern the different roles just by the small snippets of conversation he was able to pick up. Some located the herds, some did the actual hunting, some harvested the meat from the animal carcasses, and some simply managed the whole event.

Seeing how the whole event was performed by everyone in the pride, Alex suddenly felt ashamed for not participating. Bothered by this, he got up and walked back towards Nala and Sarafina who were just finishing the bath and beginning to debate Nala's sleeping arrangements for the night.

"We'll discuss this later Nala." Sarafina concluded when she noticed Alex's return. "Go have fun with your friend." As Nala brushed herself off, she turned to Alex. "I hope she's not too much trouble for you."

"Not at all." he replied with a smile.

"But we're BOOOOOOOORED!" Nala said in response to her mother. "Can't you play with us?" The weary mother sighed and glared on her daughter with eyes that clearly indicated her answer. "Go play with your friend."

"Actually Sarafina," began Alex, I'm kind of feeling like the third wheel around here, do you have anything you can give me to do?" He hoped that he was not ruining Sarafina's alone time by searching for a job.

The older lioness was clearly confused. "I'm sorry dear, but what did you say you felt like?"

Alex immediately felt foolish, _of course they wouldn't know what a wheel is, much less a third wheel_. In any case, Sarafina clearly did not understand the expression. "A third wheel is….. Uh….. ummm….nevermind. What I'm trying to ask is if there is anything around here I can help with."

Sarafina's clouded expression cleared with her understanding of her guest's desires. "Well we're always looking for more help if anyone's willing to give it. Tonight we actually have a slight shortage of hunters... that is, if you don't mind chasing down a zebra."

Alex grinned; hunting large animals without a gun wasn't something he'd ever done, but what the hell? After all, this _was _Africa. "I'll give it a shot." he offered.

"Mom, can you give us a stalking lesson? Please? It'd be really cool and Alex could learn how we hunt!" begged Nala.

"I don't see why not, after all, you'll be old enough to start hunting as well." Sarafina gave in easily and she led them over to a nearby patch of grass. "Lie down and sink into the grass." she told them. "Become a part of it. Move as it does when the breeze passes through."

Alex and Nala followed her directions, careful to move as little as possible. He lowered himself down onto all four limbs, but did not allow his torso to touch the ground. It was pretty tough after a while, like a really long-lasting pushup.

He listened intently Sarafina explained how less of them touching the ground would make less noise they would make as they crawled through the grass.

Despite the physical and mental energy required to do it all, Alex really enjoyed the practice. The two new hunters spent the afternoon developing their new skills. They skulked silently and stealthily through the tall grass, learning how to muffle inevitable noises and to memorize the ground debris so they could keep from looking down too often. They used obstacles and different kinds of foliage to break up their form and learned when and how to strike once they were close enough to their prey.

When the hunting party began to gather on the far side of the field, Alex and Sarafina joined them and Nala went off to entertain herself by pouncing on some small animal. Once in the circle of lionesses, Sarafina told Sarabi quietly how Alex was joining them. Sarabi smiled at the information before calling attention to the huntresses.

"Attention everyone!" she commanded with authority, "You have all seen Alex around

Priderock over the past day, so you should know by now that he is our guest. This evening he's filling in for Sheevni, whose ankle is still bothering her; he's going to be one of the secondary stalkers."

No one said anything, but Alex could feel critical eyes on him; clearly irritated at least a little by his presence. He didn't blame them, this was _their_ hunt and he was not one of _them_. Hopefully the difference between him and them wouldn't create too much conflict. He tried to ignore the awkwardness of it all as he refocused his attention to Sarabi.

"Amai, would you please tell everyone now on where we are going?"

"Of course your highness." answered a pale, scruffy looking lioness with big eyes. "At midday today we found the antelope herd about 5 minutes towards sunset from the watering hole. We think they are heading to the grove of acacias after leaving the water hole. If we can cut them off here," Amai pointed to a crude homemade map in the dirt, "we can push the whole herd into the more dynamic terrain that surrounds the termite mounds and use the elevation differences to mount a surprise attack. Any questions?"

Though Alex understood what was being said, he found it fascinating at how much this hunt resembled a combat operation. The zebra were treated as the enemy, and that they must be killed or else they will kill the pride. As he thought about it, Alex realized that it was just that. It was kill or starve in Africa, if the antelope won the encounter, perhaps some of the weaker cubs or older pride members would starve. Survival depended on the careful balance of life and death, just as Mufasa had been saying. From what Alex could take from the faces of the huntresses, they didn't like having to deal with the death, but still no one objected. It was a matter of necessity and survival.

After some more brief discussion, group of lions moved out into the savannah, making quick progress to the herd. Alex took in the exotic scenery of the Pridelands, large colorful birds flew in varying patterns across the sky in the deep orange light of the setting sun. Off in the far distance, a large thunderhead steadily made its way across the plains, letting loose a visible downpour upon the distant grassland. The group moved silently, not wanting to spook any unnoticed prey along the way, or to lose the focus they all possessed.

It wasn't too long before the landscape reflected what had been discussed before. The herd was close, and everyone knew it. They climbed a final hill and peeked over the top to see a herd of around twenty or so antelope. Alex's heart began to pound with anticipation of the hunt as the others began to move off to their places. The main stalkers slowly split off from the main group and got into position farther away while everyone else prepared to chase the prey towards them.

In a matter of mere minutes, all were in their places and awaiting the signal to begin. The entire group was frozen in anticipation, any mistake from this point on could destroy the hunt and send them all home without a meal.

A small, barely noticeable flick of the tail sent the secondary stalkers into action. Alex and the others slowly inched down the small hill and toward the edge of the herd. Alex understood that he was not expected to actually _catch_ a zebra, being that his job was only to guide them toward the other hunters, but he had still wanted to see if he could keep up with them if he could.

He held his body inches from the ground, following Sarafina's instructions to a tee. He moved with the grass and maintained his transparency to the herd.

_ "SNAP!" _most of the zebra lifted their heads to investigate the unintended noise, signaling the progression into the next stage of the hunt. With the herd suddenly aware, the lions needed to strike _now_ to keep their advantage.

The grass exploded as the lionesses took off at breakneck speeds, quickly spreading out to keep the herd moving in the right direction. Alex fell naturally behind due to his bipedal stature, but continued to sprint with all his speed. He watched as even those that had started far behind him began to pass him.

_"Stay out of my way!"_ one lioness growled under her breath as she bolted by him, nearly knocking him to the ground. Alex just eyed her cautiously as she passed without slowing his sprint in the slightest. Her eyes were dark and sincere as she glared at him; something about her expression told him that she disliked him for more than just being _new_. Something in her eyes... it made the young man nervous.

Motion up ahead caught Alex's eye and he tore away from the threatening lioness. One of the zebras up ahead was confused, it had already been trailing farther and farther behind and it had finally lost all sense of direction. In a panicked frenzy, the beast began to thrash about, only sprinting short distances before turning around and sprinting right back. It knew it was in trouble, but couldn't calm itself to decide on a direction.

In a flash, the unfriendly lioness that had sped ahead of him tackled the zebra and slowed him to a halt. She climbed on its back with a growl, clawing at the ribs and shoulder, making the beast thrash violently in pain. Before the hunter could deliver a final killing strike to the neck, the zebra twisted sharply, throwing the lioness off and onto the hard ground. She fell hard, going limp as soon as she made contact with the dirt.

The zebra had managed to escape the immediate threat, but continued to leap around wildly. Alex glanced around for any other hunters, but was disappointed to see that he was the closest by far to the wounded animal. As he sprinted towards the still confused and raving animal, he tried to convince himself that he really wasn't afraid of the creature. No_, _ he decided as he neared it at a dead sprint, he was definitely scared to death of this wild animal that just downed a lion, it just didn't matter if he was scared. They _needed_ this kill, they _needed _to eat. His hand moved down to his side to where his knife was sheathed and drew it out carefully so as not to stab himself while he ran. He was tired, his breathing ragged and his legs fatigued, but that didn't matter. He was about to tackle a several hundred-pound _zebra_.

Upon hearing his footsteps, the creature started to turn towards him, but it reacted too slowly. It was only halfway around before Alex ploughed into its side with his full shoulder weight behind a knife point. He felt the blade sink into the living animal and he felt the animal react as they fell to the ground. He expected to feel hot blood soft flesh of the zebra, but there just wasn't any time. All he saw and felt was a violent twisting of muscle and steel as he and the creature rolled across the ground. He kept his grip on the knife, and it pulled out as he fell away from the grounded zebra. Without thinking, Alex climbed to his feet and lunged with an unintentional growl at his still living prey. He narrowly dodged a hoof as he closed in on the creatures neck and brought his knife up over his head.

It seemed to fall on its own accord, the blade burying itself up to the handle in the zebra's neck. It was a devastating blow, and instantly made the entire creature fall limply to the ground in sudden death. Alex stayed crouched down, his hand still on the knife's handle and his breathing still ragged. He almost couldn't believe that he had killed the huge beast; it just ended so fast after being so intense. Suddenly he felt nauseous and fell back onto the ground as his adrenaline faded away, leaving him with only sheer exhaustion in its place.

Alex had hunted before, but this was different. The simplicity that a gun offered had insulated him from the reality. He had killed animals before and watched them die on the ground before him, but never had he felt the life drain out of a healthy animal and felt, rather than saw the heart stop beating. This was his first _real_ kill, and he was proud... And sad. The zebra had put up a good fight; it had already successfully escaped the clutches of another hunter and would have likely survived, had Alex not stolen its existence. As he slowed his breathing and regained his mental composure, he began to look at his kill. It was a beautiful creature, with contrasting stripes now stained with dark thick liquid. He was so entrapped by the dead animal, that Alex didn't notice when several huntresses along with Sarafina arrived.

"Wow...," commented his teacher admirably, "I wasn't expecting you to get one... "

"It was already hurt." Alex responded, his mind immediately going back to the hurt lioness. He looked back sharply, letting out a relieved sigh when he caught sight of the hurt hunter rising to her feet. Sure she had been unfriendly towards him, but he still hoped she was alright.

"Are you okay?" he asked as she neared him.

"Don't concern yourself with _me_." she spat with a frown on her face.

Alex just watched her leave with wide eyes, slightly shocked by her animosity.

"Ignore her," Sarafina said quietly. "Zira acts that way to just about everyone. Don't let it get to you."

"I won't..." he said distantly. "I just wasn't expecting it."

"You got the zebra and she didn't, you should be proud."

He shrugged, still slightly out of breath. "I am... it was one of the tougher things I've ever done."

Sarafina nodded with a smile. "Well we all appreciate it, the others only managed to grab a few more. They already started back towards Priderock."

"Well I guess we should head back too..." he said slowly, eying the downed zebra. "But I'm not really sure how to carry this."

Sarafina chuckled slightly at his worry. "It's not too tough, I'll show you."

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It didn't take too long for Alex and Sarafina to catch up with the rest of the hunting party, and their arrival was greeted warmly by all those present. Clearly everyone else was quite impressed by his kill, all except Zira of course. She stayed to the outskirts of the group, just glaring at her fellow hunters with apparent distaste.

He spent several minutes thanking the others for the many congratulations they showered him with; he hadn't expected such enthusiasm from a crowd that only hours before looked at him as an unwanted outsider. Once the conversations died down a bit, Alex offered to take one of the zebras and took a firm hold of it on his shoulders.

"Oof," he grunted. "It's heavier than I thought it would be."

Sarafina looked over at him from where her eyes had been glued on the horizon. "Well pass it off if you get tired, we need to hurry up on our way back."

Alex looked off to where she had been staring, only to see a rapidly approaching storm front. "Rain?"

She shrugged. "Really heavy downpours are uncommon this time of year, but can cause flash floods when they do happen. I just don't want to be out when it starts, if it starts."

"Sounds kind of dangerous." he remarked.

"Don't listen to her," a nearby lioness interjected. "She just doesn't like getting wet is all!"

"I _also_ don't like getting swept away do my death!" Sarafina retorted playfully. "Make no mistake, weather like this isn't a good sign. It just _feels_ dangerous."

"I won't argue with you there." replied the other. "Dark skies always make me worry."

Alex watched the two talk for a bit longer, but eventually grew distracted by the incredible sight of the late-day African savanna. He was grateful that the clouds were arriving from the east and did not interfere with the west-setting sun. Deep orange rays tinted the savanna with the bright hue of life and bliss, even as the foreboding clouds encroached on the land. The cool evening air was refreshing after the hot day and silenced the loud bugs that thrived in the humidity. The only audible sound as the sun began to sink below the horizon was the rhythmic chirping of the waking crickets from their daylong nap.

It took some time with the killed animals, but the hunting party soon arrived back at Priderock after their long trip. They were greeted by the other lions with much interest and enthusiasm; many had been hoping for a successful hunt. Needless to say, Nala was at the forefront of it all.

"Did you get one? Is it big? What was it like? Can I go with you all next time?" Her questions only broadened Alex's grin.

Sarafina was the first to respond. "You can go when you get older, as much as I know you hate to hear it, you just aren't big enough."

"I hate not being big!" she responded. "Why can't I grow faster?"

"You'll be big enough in no time." Alex interjected. He shifted the zebra on his back as Nala walked next to him.

Nala sighed deeply as she fell into place with the teenager. "Easy for you to say, you got a kill! What was it like?" She stared at him with her massive blue eyes searching for answers in his while Alex searched for words to describe the hunt.

"It was….. exhilarating." he finally decided. "My heart was pounding the whole time because there was so much going on."

"I'm reaaaaally jealous!" she said with a tinge of sincerity.

"Be patient..." he reminded her softly. "What did you do while we were gone?"

She shrugged. "Nothing, Simba hasn't come back yet."

Alex frowned. "Still? But it's about to storm."

Nala laughed quietly. "They don't _care_, Simba always liked the rain."

"Nala!" Sarafina's voice sounded from not too far away. "Come get some food!"

The young cub sighed and turned towards her mom. "Coming!"

"Enjoy." Alex said with a grin.

"Yea, I'll see you later." she called back as she started off towards the zebras.

After she disappeared from sight, Alex continued along his small trail. A small ledge seemed to beckon him as he approached it and he quickly decided to sit there for a bit. The hunt had left him exhausted and the march home hadn't helped too much; he was tired. As soon as his body hit the ground, his legs turned to jelly. He sighed deeply and leaned back against the stone wall behind him, looking over Priderock's main area. The pride moved about their business below him with a reassuring tone of calmness.

Nala was nuzzling her mother's side as she nibbled on a small piece of meat while others discussed the hunt in great detail. Everyone had their own story to tell, and everyone wanted to be the first to Alex to head inside soon.

He was just about to rise and head back to his cave when movement at Priderock's lip caught his eye. Sarabi and Scar were standing there alone, looking a bit distraught. It was strange, Alex thought. Since he had been here, this was the first bit of conflict he had seen. Everything was so near-perfect, the sight of the two upset lions threw him off. It couldn't have been anything too bad, these lions were too at home and conscious of their surroundings to face any real threat. No, he decided, surely it was something trivial and unimportant. But where was Simba? He should have returned with Scar. Maybe Mufasa had taken his son out on some lesson, who knew.

He was a ways away from the pair, but Alex was still able to notice the tears streaming down Sarabi's face. Something had happened, something bad. Alex felt a heavy weight in his stomach as he lifted himself up and started back down the path. Whatever was going on, he wanted to know what it was. For better or worse.

Just as he arrived back in the common area, Scar was climbing a nearby stone to sit higher than everyone else.

"Can I have your attention please." He began strongly, silencing all the side conversations. "I have to tell you all something that will be difficult," he began, silencing the lionesses. "There was an accident earlier today in the gorge... a wildebeest stampede."

Alex could feel dread rising in his gut and went over to stand next to Sarafina and Nala. "Mufasa and Simba were there, and they both were caught in it."

"Are they alright?" one lioness asked worriedly.

Scar looked at her sadly and shook his head. "They're _dead_."

_Dead? _Alex felt as though he had been punched in the gut, and from the looks of the crowd, so did they. Death was always a hard thing to deal with, but this was their _king _ and their _prince. _ He could only imagine the despair and loss that they were feeling. All were silent at first; in shock at the dark lion's words, but then came the grief. Deep sighs, heavy breaths and whimpers were soon replaced by saddened growls and quieted roars of discontent. Alex could only watch as Nala huddled under her mother's body, tears streaming down her face as scar continued his speech.

"It is a tragedy to lose Mufasa; but to lose Simba, who had barely begun to live…" Scar's words fell upon Alex's deaf ears as he struggled to comprehend the situation. How could Mufasa die? He was _massive_! And Simba, the cub was just too young. There was no reason that he should die. The cold familiar feeling of grief washed over his body as his mind flashed back to the crash. His friends were dead, and now were these two lions. It was too much and he knelt down to clear his head. Although he had only really talked with Mufasa once, the great lion's death struck his heart deeply, reminding him of the unflinching pain inflicted on those who were left to mourn. Alex slowly refocused on Scar's words.

"…And so, it is with a heavy heart that I assume the throne. Yet from the ashes of this terrible tragedy, we will rise to greet the dawning of a new era…"

Alex blinked as he listened. Scar's tone had shifted sharply from grief to strength. His wavering voice was gone and now he stood straighter and with confidence. Something was wrong; Alex turned to hear a high pitched cackle from his left and felt his hand fly instinctively to his knife handle at his belt. He watched shadowy figures slink into the shadows, drawing nearer as Scar reached the climax of his speech.

"… An era in which lions and hyenas come together in a great and _glorious_ alliance!"

They were everywhere; hyenas surrounded Priderock, filling its crevices and saturating the air with the putrid stench of decaying meat. Scar stood atop his stone and let loose a victorious roar that echoed across the Pridelands. The herds raised their heads uneasily as the roar was answered not by the traditional roar of the lionesses, but by the cackle of scores of hyenas.

The hyenas surrounded them all; standing at just the periphery of the lions, eying the freshly killed zebras with hungry and devious eyes. They were _parasites_, nasty beasts who only lived off of others' successes. _And they were to live here? Among the lions?_

It was clear that all the lionesses were thinking the same thing, but none spoke out against Scar's new plan. Maybe they respected his new position as king, maybe they feared the hyenas too much, or maybe they were just too stunned by the death of Mufasa and Simba to do anything.

Nala hunkered under her mother's paws, beginning to panic as the Hyenas drew nearer. She remembered clearly the events of the day before, and was not any more comfortable around the creatures than she had been after the attack. They started tearing at the fresh carcasses and nipping at feet of some of the lionesses, becoming more and more bold every minute. One of the creatures walked especially close to the young cub and suddenly became all too much for her. Overwhelmed by the events and her thoughts clouded with fear, she climbed away from her mother and broke into a panicked sprint away from the dreadful hyenas. Before anyone could stop her, she had disappeared into the brush and only the sound of her tearful whimpers indicated where she was.

"Nala!" cried Sarafina who was beginning to panic herself, "Come back!"

Alex ran after the young cub, mentally marking where she entered the brush and called back to her mother. "I'll get her! Don't worry!"

He ploughed through the bush, hindered by his size, but emerged on the other side quickly enough. He followed the small trail that she would have surely used and ran as hard as he could so as not to lose her. The pride had already lost its king and prince, they didn't need any more heartache. Alex could only imagine the despair of her mother if some hyena found Nala before he did. The pride had been through enough, and so had he. True, Nala was a cub he had just met from another _species_, but he felt something with her. She was his friend, and held something in her spirit that comforted him. If he was to survive here in Africa, he _needed_ her to be there with him, and the thought of her getting hurt made his heart beat with fear.

He slowed as he took notice of quiet sobbing. A lone tree stood out on a small hill overlooking the plains, sheltering the grass and hiding its crying occupant. Alex slowed to a walk as he approached, not wanting to startle the timid cub again and begin another chase. He pushed the grass aside and sighed when he saw her curled into a tight ball next to the tree's trunk.

"Hey now…" He began as he sat down next to her. "It's gonna be okay." The poor cub only leaned up against his body and continued to cry. Alex lay against her, feeling her small heartbeat up against his. He stared up at the stormy night sky and let his own tears flow silently down his face. Lightning flashed silently as heavy raindrops began to fall, washing over the grassland like a gray funeral shroud. The two of stayed there for many minutes while Nala cried and sobbed into Alex's arms.

"Why… why did he have to die?" whispered the distraught cub.

Alex shook his head. "I don't know, it was an accident." His answer was poor, but he didn't know what else to say.

"But he was my _friend_!" she sobbed. "And why are those_ things_ here?"

Another question he didn't have the answer to. "I don't know." he repeated darkly. "I think Scar will be a different kind of King than Mufasa was. I think we need to be ready for more strange changes."

"But I liked how things were! Why do they have to change?" She began to cry bitterly again.

"Everything changes and there's nothing we can do to stop it. It's a part of life." Nala stopped crying at this statement and looked at Alex curiously. "The way I see it, you have two choices right now. You could roll over and give up, or you could adapt to the new routine and maybe even make something positive out of this whole tragedy."

Nala buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed again. "I don't want to pretend like it's okay when it's _not_."

"Of course you don't, I don't either; and we shouldn't… But we have to keep going. Your mom needs you Nala, so does Sarabi." He hesitated a moment and breathed in the cool night air deeply. "And I need you too."

Nala smiled up at him looked into his blue eyes with tear stains streaking her cheeks. "You do?" she asked quietly.

He nodded and was silent a moment before speaking. "You're the only real friend I've got out here."

She nuzzled into him and closed her eyes. "You're my only friend too."

Alex smiled and gently ran his hand through her soft fur.

"Let's head back; your mom is probably worried sick."

She nodded and allowed herself to be lifted into his arms. As soon as they left the cover of the small tree, the raindrops hit them with increased intensity like teardrops from heaven. By the time they were back at Priderock, the pair were soaked through to the skin.

Alex kept Nala's head down into his shoulder as they passed the many Hyenas and climbed the ramp and entered the main cave, searching for Sarafina. He found her with Sarabi, comforting the older lioness. She expressed her thanks and relief for her daughter's retrieval and took the cub from his arms. Alex watched Sarafina take Nala over to their spot and put her to bed. He was heading out towards his own cave but was stopped by Sarafina.

"Oh no you don't." she said quietly. "I'm not going to let you outside with those mangy things; you're staying in here with us for tonight."

Alex nodded, too exhausted to argue. He turned back towards the falling rain outside the cave and watched the lightning. A new era was certainly dawning, but he doubted that it would be as glorious as Scar imagined. He turned and followed Sarafina back to where Nala was sleeping, laid down next to her. Of a day where chaos had reigned and order had been lifted, Alex found comfort in the strength of the natural rhythm around him. The steady breathing of all the lionesses, the constant patter of falling rain, and even Nala's small and steady heartbeat; it all combined to calm him, to remind him of his safety. Things were different now, that was certain. But he knew what his role was in it all; he would be here for this pride, especially for Nala. He looked at her sleeping form, barely visible in the darkness. He didn't know why, but he felt responsibility for this young cub. _He would protect her_, he decided. _He wouldn't let her give up_.

*****Author's note*****

Terribly sorry about the long wait for this, rewriting this story is much more difficult than I originally thought it would be, (there's just so much to fix and the chapters are soooo long!). To answer a lot of questions I've been getting, I am not back for very long, only until the end of the month. Once college starts, I highly doubt I'll have time to do any writing while balancing my major with Officer training. Take care, I'll try to be faster with this next chapter.

-Ben


	3. Chapter 3: Acceptance

*****Chapter 3*****

*****Acceptance*****

_No words describe a mother's tears_

_No words can heal a broken heart_

_A dream is gone, but where there's hope._

_Somewhere something is calling for you_

_Two worlds, one family_

_Trust your heart, let fate decide_

_To guide these lives we see._

-_Two worlds by Phil Collins_

The next several days passed in a dim fog that only vaguely resembled reality. All members of the pride struggled to come to terms with the loss of Mufasa and Simba while dealing with the introduction of the hyenas. It made grieving quite difficult for them all, but they did the best with the hand that they had been dealt. The dog-like animals quickly instated themselves into the daily life of the Pridelands despite the efforts of the lionesses. They harassed the herds and ate far more than their share of the kills. Scar spent much of his time secluded in his own space, usually sending out his hyena cronies to communicate any orders. he had for the pride.

One of his first decrees as king was to change the balance of work. After several botched joint-effort hunts, it became clear that the hyenas were inferior hunters and that the lionesses would have to supply them with food. No one but the hyenas were very happy about all this, but what could they do? Inevitably the change put a sharp strain on the pride's hunting party and soon required more hunters to hunt more frequently. At first, Alex had been a bit concerned with his status as a guest with Scar as the new king. The dark lion didn't seem to like him very much, and the hyenas already held a bit of a grudge against him for his prior actions. However, it soon became apparent that the new king was indifferent to Alex's presence. As long as the young man helped to maintain a steady flow of meat into Priderock, he seemed to be safe.

Despite his first success with the zebra, Alex did not achieve any new trophies. He helped his teammates to get some kills, but the glory that he had felt after his first hunt was gone. The hunters no longer congratulated each other, as most of the kill would likely go to the hyenas. The pride usually sent out three hunts a day, and Alex took part in one or two. When he wasn't hunting, Alex spent most of his time in his cave, working on basic creature comforts to help him live in this new wilderness. Nala usually joined him, but little was said. She just watched him work, deep in her own thoughts and secluded from the world. Alex enjoyed her company; it was better than being alone, and he assumed she felt the same way. Besides, most everywhere else was overrun with hyenas so there weren't many other places to go.

One day Nala looked at his formerly injured arm, now free of bandages and padding. "It healed." She observed.

"Everything does in time." He replied, trying to give her hope against the deep and prevailing malaise she seemed to be in. However, her icy glare told Alex that she would not be quite as receptive today as she had been in the past.

"So I've been told." She countered bitterly before turning away and sitting in the cave's mouth.

Alex sighed, Nala was definitely depressed, and to be fair, so was he. He set down the dried grass he was weaving into string and walked over to where the cub was sitting. "Is... Is there anything you want to talk about Nala?" he asked awkwardly.

"No." she stated stubbornly, giving little effort to hide her true feelings.

Alex only looked at her forlornly; he had no idea how to handle this. He could comfort people and make them okay about the little stuff, but this was big. Nala had lost her best friend to a violent stampede; she was justified in her grief and Alex didn't know how to help.

"Nala..."

"What?" her tone was harsh and cold, almost daring him to try cheering her up.

He shook his head, changing his mind. "Nothing, never mind." She clearly didn't want to talk about it at all.

The evening sun caught his eye after a few moments of awkward silence. "I've gotta go on the next hunt." He said. "Are you going to stay here or go back to your mom?"

"I'll stay here." the small cub muttered, putting her head back down onto her paws. Then after a minute, "Bye."

"Okay... bye." he said as he rose to his feet. Nala was a small cub, but she had matured greatly over the recent days. Far less play, and far more quiet days of solitude. It was concerning to Alex and to the other lionesses. Cubs were supposed to play and have fun all day, but Nala was being so reclusive. Even her voice had changed; she sounded months older and spoke with an tone befitting of a young adult.

Alex exited his cave and began the walk down the path to meet up with the hunting party, playing with the lashings on his newly made spear as he went. He knew he should be focusing on the hunt, but his mind stuck fast to Nala. She was young, but he doubted that the issue would disappear if he just ignored it. In fact, it might really damage her if it pestered her for a long enough time. Alex remembered a friend of his in middle school; whose mom died in a car crash. The changes weren't instant, but in a few years the the young boy went from a carefree troublemaker to a dark, depressed, and withdrawn teenager. Alex regretted how they grew apart, but the kid's personality was changed. He didn't want Nala to go through the same thing but he had no idea how to stop it. People went to school for years to learn how to care for people coping with traumatic events. He was no therapist; he was way in over his head.

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The hunters moved slowly through the long tan grass towards the nearing herd of antelope. They were closing the hundred yards at a steady pace, freezing at different intervals so as not to disturb the skittish animals. Alex crawled with his stomach gently grazing the dirt. He kept his figure low, not even peeking over the top of the grass for fear of attracting the prey's attention. He knew he was going the right way by the distant sounds of movement; rustling grass, cracking sticks, snorts of the antelope themselves. He didn't need to look.

Suddenly, silence gripped the grassland. Alex and the other lionesses froze in their steps and listened closely, but could not even hear the usual noises of their prey. He locked eyes with a nearby lioness, and the two slowly raised their heads above the grass to see the herd staring nervously off to the side.

"Who did we send over there?" whispered Alex, still unsure of the newer huntresses that Scar had forced them to recruit.

"We didn't", responded the other hunter in an even quieter voice than Alex's. "Everyone else is off to the _other_ side."

"Awww hell…." Alex sighed in an irritated tone.

As if on cue, the grasses in the direction the herd was looking burst into motion as a handful of hyenas clumsily jumped into action. The beasts tripped over each other's feet as they ran towards the herd, laughing wildly from the thrill of the chase. The antelope bolted away far before the hyenas had even neared them, hardly even afraid of the poor hunters. They made their way through the savanna, easily dodging the emerging lionesses as they scrambled to make an effort towards the kill. Alex bolted from his position with all the nearby hunters, but he knew it was too late. A successful hunt required careful coordination and tedious attention to detail. The hyenas had ruined it all by scaring the herd, their element of surprise was gone.

Alex slowed to a walk as the antelope trotted off to some other distant slope and turned angrily to the hyenas who were panting, yet still cackling in between breaths.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" he demanded.

The infuriating creatures only exchanged glances and laughed that much harder at his anger.

Sarabi stepped up alongside him, clearly just as aggravated. "You ruined the hunt! That was supposed to feed the entire pride, including _you_!"

They all just kept laughing as the rest of the hunting party approached them with their breathing still heavy. One of the hyenas managed to quell his laughter for a moment to give a few parting words with a devious grin. "Better hurry up and find that herd, Scar probably won't be too happy if you come back empty handed." he said, completely ignoring their earlier remarks.

With that, the dirty animals turned back towards Priderock, still laughing their heads off.

Alex felt his rage boil up inside him at the sheer disrespect of the intruding creatures, and took a step towards them, his hand curled tightly around his spear. He wanted to make them _pay_ for what they had done.

"No," Sarabi told him sternly as she stepped in front of him. "You know Scar would choose them over us any day of the week. You'd be kicked out into the prairie, or worse. It's not worth it."

Alex sighed angrily, his heart beating three times its normal speed. He wanted to punch something, make something hurt. He clenched his fist around his spear's handle hard enough to turn his fingers white. She was clearly right; Scar would never punish one of his loyal followers over a huntress, let alone a stranded human.

"You're right... sorry." he said softly. "They just-"

"They make us mad, too." she agreed. "But fighting them will only make it all worse."

He nodded darkly, forcing himself to relax his grip on his spear. "So are we going to start again, or what?"

Sarabi shook her head. "No, it's too late and the herd is skittish. There's nothing more to be done tonight, let's go home."

The group quietly started walking back to the massive stone. No one said anything, there wasn't much to say. Alex slowly recovered his mental stability with the walk. Normally he was a very calm and rational person, but the stress of the past few days mixed with the stupidity of the hyenas was putting him over the edge. He sighed, _things were getting difficult_.

They neared Priderock in due time and the group went their separate ways. Alex was just about to start up towards his cave when he caught sight of Nala heading off to bed, head hung low. He figured that he was going to have to deal with her sooner than later, and it would probably be better if he did it sooner.

He searched the nearby area for a familiar face, quickly finding the lioness he was looking for. "Sarafina," he called as he caught up to her. "Would you mind if I took Nala for a while tomorrow morning?" Sarafina looked towards the main cave just as Nala disappeared into it. The look on her face reflected her weary mind.

"No, go ahead. She's been so out of it lately, it would be good for her to get up and do something."

"Great, thanks." he replied.

"Just stay out of trouble." she added with a tinge of worry.

"Of course." he assured her. "We won't go anywhere dangerous."

She smiled and nodded softly before turning away. "I'll let her know you're coming." Alex watched her walk up the rocks to where her daughter had gone, hyenas chuckling at her from the shadows.

Alex suppressed his anger towards the unwanted beasts and started up his path, turning his mind to Nala. He didn't know what he was going to say to her, or how she would react to it all, but maybe if he took her to the right spot. Maybe he could help her.

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It was a difficult night to sleep; the humidity was high and the bugs were out, but Alex awoke early the next morning an headed out to find Nala. She hadn't been much of a late sleeper since the accident, so he was sure she was already up.

Sure enough, by the time he neared the base of Priderock, she was already atop her usual rock overlooking the area. She caught sight of him after a moment or two and lifted herself from the ground. Hyenas were laying about everywhere, as was their stench, causing her to grimace as she jumped down the rocks to meet her friend.

She cut right to the chase, clearly not wanting to chat. "My mom said you wanted to take me somewhere?"

"Let's just walk and get away from _them_." he answered, gesturing darkly towards the hyenas. Although he really did want to avoid the sleeping hyenas, he was really just stalling. Even with a full night's worth of deliberation he still hadn't figured out what to say that would snap her out of whatever she was going through.

They walked for a good half-mile before the smell went away. The birds were waking up from their sleep and had begun their daily chatter. The sun was starting to rise and all the green foliage seemed to be shining of gold in its bright light. Alex looked down at the cub, only to see her staring at the ground; oblivious to the beauty that surrounded them.

"Nala, what's bothering you?" he started, realizing the foolishness of the question as he asked it. She glared at him. Of course she was upset about Simba, who wasn't? "I mean specifically," he corrected himself. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"No."

He tried again, this time with a softer voice. "This isn't healthy; you need to come to terms with this whole thing."

"Don't tell me how to feel!" she responded sharply.

He sighed, "I'm not trying to; I just can't stand to see you doing this to yourself. You can't change what happened, you need to move on."

"NO! Simba was MY friend and I'm not going to just _get over him_! Everyone's telling me to move on! I don't want to forget him… he was my _friend_!" By this time, tears were streaming down her face. She leaned against a large rock on the side of the path and bowed her head. "I'm not going to forget him…." she muttered meekly.

Alex was caught off guard by her outburst, unsure of how to proceed "Moving on doesn't mean you have to forget him." he began softly. "It just means that you accept what happened and learn from it. All you're doing now is beating yourself up for something that wasn't your fault."

"Simba is dead... And it _is_ my fault. I should have done something, I could have told him not to go… I…" She started sobbing and turned away. "I didn't even get to say _goodbye_."

"I know what you're going through Nala, I know it's not easy an…." She cut him off before he could finish.

"How could you know what I'm going through? she demanded angrily. "You hardly knew him!"

Alex sighed and looked calmly into the cub's glaring blue eyes. She was surprising him with her argument. He wasn't expecting the anger that was now directed at him. Although now that he thought about it, she did kind of skip that stage in the grief process.

"My best friends _were_ killed, and there was nothing I could do about it." He stated bluntly.

"What?" Nala raised her head out of confusion. "When?"

"The day before I met you." Initially he had wanted to protect the young lion from the brutal tragedy that he had experienced, but now he realized that it would probably help in her understanding her own problem. "There was a terrible accident and I was the only one who lived…. Everyone else died. They were my friends, m-my best friends…" He trailed off, the images of the crash returning to his head. His friends broken bodies, their shattered lives. They were all so vivid in his head despite his attempts to smother them. Now, as he spoke about them and remembered the event, he felt his eyes begin to well up with tears.

"Sorry..." he muttered quietly, wiping his eyes as he took a seat on a nearby rock. "I haven't really talked about it much."

Nala looked at him with sad eyes, her anger gone. "T-they died and you didn't?"

He nodded, the memories flooding his heart like a sharp knife. Hiding his feelings had only strengthened their effect on him. He missed them dearly and only now did he realize how much he had been hiding it, even from himself.

He felt fresh tears slide down his cheek as the realization hit him. _He was really alone out here_. His friends were dead, leaving him as the _only_ human being within any reasonable distance. He was an alien in a foreign land, left at the mercy of nature. _He missed his friends... he missed his parents..._ He was _alone_.

"I'm sorry..." Nala said in a near whisper, clearly a bit embarrassed for her earlier statement. "I didn't know."

"It's o-okay..." Alex choked out, hardly even hearing her as he wiped his wet eyes. "I really didn't mean to do this now." His silent tears weren't silent anymore as his throat seemed to close around itself. He couldn't stop the overwhelming wave of despair and loneliness. There was no comfort here, not among the hyenas. The one light of kindness he had seen here in Africa was in Mufasa, and now he was dead along with his young son. He had hardly known the king, but his death seemed to take the _idea_ of the great lion with him. If the hospitality and nobility that was afforded him was only rewarded with his own demise, then what justice _was_ there in the universe?

He had pushed his emotions aside when his friends died, he had done it again when he realized he wasn't going home, and then again with the tragedy at Priderock. Now it all came at once, one massive overflow of emotion that was breaking him.

A broken sob cracked through his trembling lip as he sat down on a nearby stone, his legs threatening to collapse him to the unforgiving ground. With his head in his hands, Alex felt hot tears pour down his face and his breathing grow ragged. The dam had burst, suddenly and violently and now there was nothing more he could do but let it out. He only wished Nala wasn't seeing it all, this was his own baggage to handle, not hers.

"I'm s-sorry, Nala..." he said forced out. "This wasn't supposed to be abo-"

He was cut off sharply by a sudden mass of fur that rocked into him with a bit of force. He felt as the young cub crawled up to his side and leaned into his side under his arm, shaking slightly as tears and sobs racked her own body. _She was hugging him_...

Alex hesitated for a moment, somewhat shocked at her sudden openness. Then he understood; she was hurting in the same way that he was, and only now did they both realize it. He shoved aside his inhibition and dropped his arm over her body, pulling her tightly into him. He could feel her broken breaths and shuddering body as her sadness revealed itself. He felt her grief, and she felt his. They were each other's reflection, but also their inspiration.

In the back of his mind, Alex noted the strangeness of holding a crying lion cub, but that was his mind, not his heart. Something drew him to her like nothing he had ever felt before. Granted, they were different creatures from different worlds and different personalities, but he felt a connection with her that seemed to transcend all that. She was somehow his responsibility, and he wanted it to stay like that.

After many minutes of embrace, Alex felt his breath begin to return even as Nala continued to sob. "I'm sorry, Nala."

"I'm sorry t-too." she replied softly, her eyes still wet with tears. "I j-just miss him so _much_."

"Me too." he said softly, pulling her tight. "But there's nothing we can do about that anymore. We have to move on."

"But I want him _here_!" Fresh tears fell off her muzzle, staining the dry dirt around her paws.

"I know, and you should, but we can't let that get in the way of living our own lives. We won't ever forget him, but what would _he_ say if he saw you spend your whole life just thinking about him?"

"He wouldn't like it..." she said sullenly. "He'd want me to go do... something _stupid_." at that, a small grin cracked across her face, the first Alex had seen in days.

"There we go, you get it." he said softly.

She looked up at him with clear eyes. "What about you?"

"What _about_ me?" he asked with some confusion.

"Are you okay?"

Alex sighed deeply and looked away as he thought of how to word his response. "I'm alright... not great, but alright. I just never let myself react like I should have; I miss my friends and family."

She nuzzled up alongside him. "At least we've got each other."

He chuckled slightly at her words. "That's very cliché."

"It's very _true_." she countered, surprising him with her forcefulness. "I... I don't have anyone else."

He nodded slowly, realizing the truth of what she said. "Me niether. I guess we'll have to take care of each other, then."

"We can do that." she answered with a smile, her eyes radiating a maturity that surprised Alex.

"Come on." Alex said as he rose to his feet. "Let's go back to Priderock."

She nodded and stood alongside him. "Okay... I think I'm ready."

Alex noted a concern in her voice, and he guessed what it was. "Don't worry about the hyenas, Nala. They aren't worth your time."

She shuddered; clearly he had guessed her fears correctly. "But they're _freaky_."

"They're also stupid, dirty, and don't know what they're talking about."

Her tone suddenly turned dark. "If they say _anything_ about Simba," she said seriously, "I'll beat them to the ground."

Now it was Alex's turn to laugh. The mental image of the small cub wrestling a full grown hyena three times her size to the ground just was too funny. "Alright," he said through his smile. "Just don't hurt them _too_ bad, we don't want Scar to have to protect his loved ones.

"I won't." she said with a smile.

The friends walked on in a comfortable silence for some time; all of what needed to be said had been said and the dense fog of grief had been lifted, at least a little. By the time they had returned to Priderock, the sun was at a decent height and a group of lionesses were gathering out in front.

"Are you hunting this morning?" Nala asked him quietly, clearly hoping that he wasn't.

He nodded. "Yea... we have to make up for yesterday's botched one."

"When will you be back?"

"I don't know." he replied. "But when I do, we can do something."

"Like what?" she asked, a slight tinge of excitement in her eye.

"I don't care, whatever you want."

"Tag?"

He laughed openly at the simplicity of her request. "Sure."

"Promise?"

"Of course."

She smiled up at him, a brilliant sight compared to the dreary glares she had been shooting him lately. "I'll find you later, then."

"Yea, I'll see you." He watched the cub walk off, a noticeable spring in her step. She wasn't over her friend's death by any means, but this was a start. Hell, he knew that he _himself_ wasn't even over his own troubles, but having her there... it just made things easier. He had brought her out to help her, but she had ended up helping him. Unexpected, but not unwelcome. A grin spread across the teenager's face as he started over towards the other hunters. The day was already looking up, and he had no intention of letting it fall. They were going to get some kills, no matter what the hyenas did.

*****Author's Note*****

**So... here's the thing. I've got 2 weeks to finish this. That's a lot of work, and I'm not sure if I'll get through all the chapters. I'll do my best, but no promises. Also, more reviews! I went from 11 on chapter one to like 4 on chapter 2! I know you guys are reading, give me some feedback! (Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment)**

**Thanks for reading, hope to get the next update up soon!**

**-Ben**


	4. Chapter 4: Needs Over Desires

*****Chapter 4*****

*****Needs over Desires*****

_For something good a price must be paid,  
>whether or not the prize is worth it is up to you.<br>An eye for an eye, a permanent trade,  
>Pure love is to be given to give love that's true.<br>Break one persons heart for another to renew._

_-Sacrifice, by Edward Day_

The days melded into weeks as the pride moved on from the rainy season into the dry season. The rivers shrunk to their lowest point since Alex had arrived and the massive thunderheads that had dotted the African sky gave way to an brilliantly clear sapphire sky. The Hyenas were a continued nuisance to the hunters despite their attempts to get Scar to intervene. It was clear that the new king felt more loyalty to the undesirable guests than he did to his own kind, and not out of just hospitality. As the time passed on, it became more and more apparent that he seemed to even _prefer_ the beasts and all their flaws over the efficient and kind lionesses. It was a mystery to Alex how that had come to be, but there was no denying it, and certainly no way to change it.

By now, the pride was taking in more food than ever before; at least one carcass a day instead of the previous one to two per week. The durability of the herds amazed Alex as they continued to steal from their ranks; they took it all with stride and their thinning numbers were hardly noticeable. It seemed that there were an infinite number of animals, and Scar seemed to be banking on that for the long-terms survival of the pride.

Nala had come a long way since the tragedy, and it made Alex happy to see her happy. It wasn't over by any means, but she held her head high most of the time and was open enough with the rest of the pride.

It was getting later in the afternoon and Alex was sitting in the shade provided under a medium sized acacia outside his cave. His skin had become far tanner than he was used to and his palms had gained a rough texture from the constant wear of the wilderness. His cave was as furnished as he was going to make it; it had a bed, a fire pit for cooking, and a storage area for the plants that he collected. The whole layout made him proud, it was quite an achievement. He lay under the tree with a small stone in his hand, rubbing away the dried mud from its smooth surface.

"Ha! I found you!" Nala approached the tree that shaded him. The small lioness had grown remarkably in just a few weeks and now Alex was at a loss to describe her. She was too large to be called a cub, but still far too young to be an adult.

"I didn't know you were looking." He stated flatly.

"My _mom_ said you went with the hunt, so I caught up with them, but they told me that some _new _girl was replacing you today and that you were with _Zazu_ talking about the hyenas, but then _he _said you left before I showed up and that you went _this_ way." As soon as she finished her last word, she inhaled sharply to replace her spent air.

Alex smiled softly at how she forgot to breathe when she was excited. "Yea, Sarabi figured that they should get some of the newer hunters some more experience working with the group." He shifted his weight to face Nala. "Besides, I've been on almost every hunt for the past week since Denvi hurt her leg."

"I think she's faking" said Nala as she sat down in the shade next to him

Alex laughed slightly in agreement. "She was definitely hurt at first, but yea, she seems like she's taking her sweet time recovering."

Nala nodded and rested her head on her paws for a moment before immediately raising her eyes back to Alex.

"I want to hunt." she reminded him for the thousandth time.

"Trust me," he said wearily, "enjoy the time you have now."

"I'm getting bigger! It won't be long now!"

Alex smiled meekly at her enthusiasm. The exhilaration that he found on his first hunt had disappeared. Now each outing was just a reminder of how they were being forced to abuse the Pridelands. It was demoralizing and saddening, but Nala was just so excited about it... he didn't want to crush her spirit.

"Soon." he said softly, placing his hand on her head. "You'll get your shot."

"Not soon enough." she countered with a grin, reaching up to playfully grab his hand with her paws.

Alex smiled as she wrestled half-heartedly with his hand. "Why were you looking for me in the first place?" Nala's head shot up from his hand, eyes wide.

"Oh yea! Scar wanted to talk you about the hyenas."

Alex sat up upon frowned upon hearing this. "What? Why me? And since when does he care what we think about the hyenas?" He pulled himself to his feet, wincing as he felt his sore legs protest against him.

"I don't know, but you _have _kind of been a spokesman for the hunters." She responded, rising to walk with Alex back toward the main cave.

"What?" Alex exclaimed in disbelief. "I talked to Scar _once_ about how we needed more hunters. That hardly makes me a spokesman."

"Well I guess he sees it differently."

"I guess, bu- OOOF!" Alex's foot had caught on a protruding root and he fell flat on his face. Nala laughed hysterically as he lay there, dust in his mouth and eyes. He rolled over onto his back and loosened his foot from the slight snare. He glared at the root, angrier at himself than at the inanimate object. _It was strange_, he thought, that root had always been there, and he hadn't tripped until today. It made him think back to when he was doing a lot of kung fu; back then he would _never _ have tripped over anything. The awareness and physical ability had helped him to avoid the usual things that always seemed to bother other people. But now it was different. He hadn't practiced the martial arts in years and his body was spent. The hunts were leaving him more and more exhausted, sore, and stiff. He was keeping in shape to be sure, but the finer skills were clearly leaving him.

He looked over at Nala, who was still laughing and grinned at her as he picked himself up.

"Hahaha! That was sooooo funny!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." he replied sarcastically as he started down the trail. "Now come on. Let's go."

"Okay, okay..." She snickered as she followed behind him, continuing to chuckle to herself every now and then about his fall. Within a few minutes, they entered the common area and were instantly assaulted by the putrid stench of the hyenas that lay about leisurely. Nala plastered her ears to the side of her head, instantly aggravated by the animals' presence.

"I hate them," she muttered, her laughter gone. "especially that group over there." she gestured to a small bunch of about four of the creatures down the way a bit. "They always make fun of me when I go by."

Alex sighed. Nala had done a fantastic job of ignoring the hyenas and standing her ground against them, but she was getting bigger and becoming more noticeable to the brutes. In addition to that, "I know it's tough, but try to ignore them. Nothing they say is worth listening to."

"I know, but they're just soooooo annoying! Couldn't you just beat them up for me?" Alex laughed at this.

"I don't think that's such a great idea, but tell you what; when I talk to scar, I'll bring it up and see if he can get them under control."

"Fine." she grumbled, "But I still say they just need a good beating."

"Go find your mom; I'll talk to you after this thing with scar."

"Ok, bye." she accepted somewhat bitterly. Alex watched her go, amazed at how much she had grown in such a short time. He knew she couldn't stand being kept out of the loop like this; she wanted to go with him to talk to Scar. It was unfortunate, he thought, how she was just a common lioness. Although she was young, Nala had a tone of maturity and strength that would surely turn into strong adult traits. It was too bad that _she _wasn't in charge of Priderock; she would certainly be better than Scar had been.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

"Ah, _Alex_; It's so good to see you." Alex walked towards the slimy voice, bowing to the seated king. Scar had mounted himself on a large slab of rock, which put him slightly above the eye level of any lion that addressed him. Alex, however, was not a lion, and still stood a foot or two above him. The young man had a feeling that Scar wasn't very happy about that, but he never said anything. At his right was Zira, who he had made queen a short while after his rise to the throne. She had always seemed to hate Alex even from his first hunt, but he hadn't really taken her seriously until she was made queen. Now she had power, enough to make his life very miserable very quickly.

"I was told you wanted to speak with me, Scar?" Alex kept his voice neutral and his vocabulary polite; Scar was known to be easily aggravated at the slightest provocation. Still, he wasn't about to fake happiness for the dark king.

"Yes, yes..." he began slowly. "Alex, you know the importance of team unity, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Alex asked with slight confusion.

"I mean our pride, you understand how everyone needs to work _together_ so that we can all benefeit."

Akex nodded slowly, unsure as to where Scar was going with this. "Yea... I understand."

"Good. Because I have been having some concerns about our _teamwork_ within the pride."

"I think you're right, there have been a lot of problems with the lionesses and hyenas." Alex felt a slight buildup of excitement as Scar prepared to speak again. _Did he finally see the stupidity of integrating the hyenas? Was he finally going to kick them out?_ Somehow he doubted it; the amused look on Zira's face made him worry. Whatever Scar was about to say, she was planning on enjoying his distress.

"Yes," the king continued, "it seems that the lionesses are having some trouble… _acclimating_… to the hyena's presence." The king spoke with a bored tone, as if he really couldn't care less about the whole matter. "I've received several complaints that the lionesses, specifically the hunters, are often very rude to our new family."

Alex was dumbfounded. The aggressors were complaining about the victims, and even worse, the king was actually _listening_ to them! "Sir, I think that the hyenas may have been the instigators with most of those incidents."

"That's no excuse!" replied Scar adamantly. "I will not allow the lionesses to treat our friends like this." Alex felt the rage in him boil up at the injustice of it all, but he held his tongue. Getting angry would not help the situation.

"Why are you telling this to me?" he asked. "Why not tell the lionesses themselves."

"You are an unbiased source; you are neither a hyena, or a lioness. The others will take your word as the truth."

Alex almost laughed despite the tense moment. "I'm a hunter; I'm always around the lionesses. I don't think I'm really that unbiased."

Scar sneered, sudden anger spilling onto his face. "You may like to think of yourself as one of them, but they do not think the same of you. You are a guest here, and may only remain as such while I _let _you."

Alex stole a quick glance at Zira who was only grinning smugly at him. "Scar, I think I've proven my dedication to this pride."

"No, you are not one of us. You will _never_ be one of us."

Scar's words fell on Alex like physical blows. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed to be true. The king was probably right, even if he was a jerk about it. Alex was human, and try as he might, he would never be a lion.

"But don't let it get you down." continued Scar, "I still have plenty of uses for you."

"I'll tell them the message." Alex said quietly, desperately wanting to leave the cave. He turned to leave, but remembered Nala's request. "Oh, one last thing Scar. The huntresses may be bothering the hyenas, but there are a few hyenas that are harassing the younger lionesses."

Zira smiled cruelly. "You mean Nala don't you? That cub probably deserved it."

Alex was angered at the queen's assumption, but was careful not to show it. "Actually yes, there's a group of our _friends_ that have been really upsetting her, and I don't think she's the only one that are being bothered by them."

"I'll mention it the next time I see them." Scar replied coldly, obviously bothered by Alex's sarcastic use of the word _friend._ "You are dismissed, have a good evening."

"And to you as well." Alex said coolly, the words tasting bitterly in his mouth. He almost forgot to bow to the king and queen before he exited through the mouth of the cave. He felt like he had just been punched in the gut, but he tried not to show it. The truth hurt, and he was feeling it really bad. He didn't like Scar, but he was right; he wasn't a part of this family, even though he cared so much for all of them.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

The sun temporarily blinded the young man as he walked into the sun. He blinked away the pain and surveyed the area. Few of the hyenas had moved since he last observed them. The lionesses that were not hunting were lying farther away from Priderock in a small grove of trees. He started off towards the others, moving quickly so as not to get caught up in the Hyenas' jabber. Alex scanned the faces in the shade and quickly located Nala and Sarafina who were deep in conversation. As he approached, he noticed that Nala seemed to have a concerned expression on her face. Sarafina looked up and stopped talking as Alex closed the distance between them.

"What did scar want?" asked Sarafina curiously.

Alex sighed. He didn't want to tell her what he said, but he knew he had to. "Scar said that the lionesses, mostly the huntresses, need to treat the hyenas better."

"What?" exclaimed both Nala and Sarafina simultaneously.

"I know, I tried to explain to him that they always start it…. But I don't know. He didn't listen to me."

Sarafina's expression darkened. "He would choose them over us any day…" she said under her breath.

"He can't do this!" stated Nala defiantly. "We're the ones that do all the work! How can he say that?"

"He's the king." Replied Alex

"Well he's not a very good one."

"Careful Nala," reminded her mother. "Like it or not, he is the King. And he takes criticism _very _personally." Nala sighed an irritated breath, but stayed quiet.

Alex stood to leave. "I guess I'm going to head back to my cave now, seeya later." Nala nodded and rested her head on her paws.

Sarafina looked at him, as if she wanted ask him something, but all she said was "Alright, we'll see you tonight."

Alex walked off toward his cave, thinking over the events of the afternoon. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Scar was right. He wasn't really part of the pride; in fact he was more like the Hyenas than the lionesses. He was only another mouth to feed, sure he hunted, but he rarely caught anything and there were other lionesses that were willing to take his place. No, he was not an important part of Priderock, and probably never would be. So what was he to do about this? He could take Scar up on his offer and become the mediator between the hyenas and the lionesses.

"That's not going to happen." He mumbled to himself. He wasn't going to be Scar's little helper any time soon.

"Alex?" called a voice from behind him.

He turned to face the speaker and saw Sarafina walking up alongside him.

"Yea? Is something wrong?" Alex asked.

Sarafina looked at him awkwardly, as if unsure how to word her next sentence. "I'm sure you know by now that the river has shrunk," she began. "If you wanted... you could cross now and head towards the human settlement."

_The river, _he had completely forgotten that it was the dry season; no rain means lower water levels and a smaller river. But he didn't really _want_ to leave, he _liked _it here with the lions. Sure, he missed his family and friends, but these were his friends too. They needed help, and he couldn't just _leave _them.

Scar's words flashed back into his mind like a hot blade. _You will never be one of us. _Words of truth, even if they came from Scar. He was a burden on this family, and the best thing he could do for them was to leave. One less mouth to feed, one less human to get in the way of the hunt.

"I think you're right, it's time for me to go." He answered solemnly.

"You don't have to; I was just saying if you want to…"

Alex appreciated her politeness, but understood that she was asking him to leave. "No, it's time. I'll be ready to leave by morning."

Sarafina nodded softly, her eyes low. "Alright... I already told Nala that you might be wanting to leave. I think she understands, but she'll probably come to see you tonight."

Alex nodded, unsure of what to say. "Sarafina... thank you."

She smiled and looked him in the eye. "Don't thank me, you've helped out a lot."

"I still owe you more. If it weren't for all of you, I probably wouldn't be alive now."

She smiled. "You would have found a way. I'm just glad you were able to be there for Nala; she's really going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss her too."

"If I don't see you before you leave tomorrow, good luck."

"Thanks, Sarafina." Alex paused a moment as the two looked in each other's eyes. Then he turned away from his friend and started up the pathway. Sarafina watched him leave, an expression of regret on her face.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

Darkness was falling and Alex was nearly finished packing his backpack with the necessary items. He had his knife, water, and a lot of dried meat. He stood up from his stuff and stepped back to look at it; fully aware of the meaning behind the pack. _He was leaving. _The reality hadn't really hit him yet, but he knew he had to keep moving. Alex knew it wouldn't be easy to live alone in Africa, but he needed to reach civilization. He knew the direction to travel and would do it as best as he could. He turned around to grab a bundle of cord, only to see Nala sitting in front of him.

"Oh... I didn't hear you come in."

"Yea, I guess." She said bitterly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, taking note of her bad mood.

"You're leaving us." she said simply, with a slight tone of irritation.

He supposed that her bluntness was to be expected, but it didn't make it any easier. "I have to Nala. I don't belong here." He hoped she would understand, but she clearly didn't.

"Why not?" she demanded. "You've been around forever; you can't just leave us for some village that might not even exist anymore!"

"I've only been here for a month or two, and look what's happened."

"What happened here isn't your fault!"

"I haven't helped the problems, though." he replied simply. "And frankly, if I'm not helping the pride, then I'm hurting it."

"But don't you want to stay?" she asked, her big eyes sad and desperate.

"Of course I do," he said, gently placing his hand on her side. But this isn't about me, it's about all of you. You all don't have enough food for both me and yourselves. I take up too many resources and it isn't fair to you." He explained sadly.

"NO!" Nala yelled. It's not fair! I don't _want_ you to go; you're part of the pride!"

This surprised Alex and made him to stop for a moment. He looked into Nala's now teary eyes and tried to soothe her. "I'm glad you think that Nala, but I'm _not_ part of the pride, and I never could be. I'm a human; I'm no more a part of this pride than the hyenas are." He pulled her into a hug and she returned it. "But that doesn't change the fact that I'll miss you… a lot."

He felt hot tears run down his cheeks as she broke through his emotions. God, he would miss her so much. He didn't have any siblings back home, but he figured that this must be what it felt like to have one. He would never do anything to hurt the young lioness, but this is what he had to do to keep her safe.

"I'm gonna miss you too." She said into his shoulder, staining his shirt with her tears.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

Alex awoke later than usual the next morning. He wanted to avoid the morning hunting party; they would all want to say goodbye to be polite, but he understood that they didn't think of him the way he did of them. To them he was just a bad hunter, a burden on the team. The sun was already up, so he wasted no time gathering his belongings. He grabbed his spear, put his knife on his belt, and shouldered his backpack. He looked over his cave on last time before he headed out. He would miss it.

He walked through the common area, trying to attract as little attention as possible. Despite his efforts at invisibility, he was bid farewell by several lionesses whom he knew from the hunting party. Scar was perched on the peak of Priderock, watching his procession indifferently. He didn't care about Alex, and seemed to enjoy watching his departure. Sarafina and Sarabi caught him as he was leaving, both wishing him the best. Sarafina also told him that Nala was around; she would find him before he left. Alex hoped so, he didn't want to leave without seeing her again.

After bidding his final farewells to the lionesses in the common area, Alex started off along a side trail that circled Priderock. He knew Nala liked a certain spot because of its warm rocks, and headed that way along the sloped side of the great stone.

"Go away!" a sudden and familiar voice sounded from not too far away. Alex snapped his eyes to a lower level of the slope in search of the voice. Laughing erupted from behind some small bushes, and Alex quickened his pace to see around the bush.

"Just leave me _alone_!"

Alex leapt from his path onto a nearby boulder, now able to see the conflict below him. Nala stood her ground against a small group of Hyenas, the same ones that she had pointed out to him the day before. It was clear that they weren't exactly getting along, and Alex wasted no time in starting his descent to their level.

"Oooh, the girl wants us to leave her alone, I think we should listen." the apparent leader said mockingly. "We better back off!" His cronies cackled as Alex climbed down the boulders as quickly as he could, to where they were standing.

"She's just so much fun to bother! Just like that little brat she used to hang out with."

Nala's head snapped to the last speaker. "_What_ did you say?" she asked dangerously.

"He said that the brat prince had it coming!" responded the other crony.

Alex was almost to them, when he saw Nala, still barely more than a cub, tackle the fully grown hyena. They went tumbling off to the side, just as he jumped off the last rock. He ran to the rolling combatants and struck the hyena as hard as he could across the muzzle before pulling Nala off. The young lioness had patches of upset fur that were quickly becoming stained with her own blood from the injuries underneath. Despite her cuts, she continued to growl, hiss, and kick against Alex's force.

"Oh," said the hyena angrily as he rose, a small trickle of blood running from his nose. "You want to fight huh?"

Alex turned sharply to the speaker. "Back off, it's over!"

"Oh no it's not; _we_ say when it's over." The other hyenas smiled cruelly as they approached the two of them.

"Nala, go get your mom." Alex said slowly. Nala had ceased her thrashing and hunkered down low to the ground, the rage in her eyes had been replaced with fear as she realized the gravity of the situation.

The apparent leader took a step forward. "If you're gonna try and stop us, you're gonna get hurt."

"Go Nala, _now_." Alex told the frightened cub.

She paused a moment and looked up at him. "But-"

"Now!" he said strongly, focusing his attention on the hyenas that were beginning to circle around him.

She clearly didn't want to, but she obeyed and took off toward Priderock, quickly disappearing behind a boulder. The young man shifted his footing, taking up his usual stance. It felt foreign. He looked down at his feet to see if there was something he was standing on, but there wasn't. He returned his focus to the animals, only to see a flying mass heading toward his head. His spear went up out of instinct, not quick enough to hurt the attacker, but enough to stop it from ripping out his throat. Alex was thrown to the ground by the hyena's sheer weight, which was a lot more than he originally had anticipated.

He kicked the beast off of him with a strong grunt and tried to stand, only to be caught off guard by one of the other beasts at his side. He felt his body hit the hard ground with enough force to tear his exposed skin. Jagged claws tore at his shoulder, releasing a stream of blood; but Alex's adrenaline was pumping too hard for him to really care. He rolled to the side, effectively escaping from underneath the hyena, but was stopped by another two of the creatures. He gripped his spear and swung it at the two, forcing them to back up. He got to his feet, and prepared for another assault. It came without hesitation. One hyena came in low to the ground and another leapt high from the right. Alex stabbed the low one with the spear point, causing a cry of pain as it rolled to the side. The airborne creature narrowly missed his head and landed directly behind him. As soon as it touched down it immediately leapt at his back, sending Alex sprawling from the force. His spear flew from his grip and landed far out of reach.

Now he was surrounded, on the ground, and wounded. The hyenas all paused for a moment, enjoying the situation. The leader snarled and struck out with his jaws, catching Alex on his forearm. The other animals attacked together, scraping, clawing, and biting at the struggling teenager. Alex kicked, punched, and even head butted the attackers, but to no avail. He felt their teeth sink into his limbs, their claws puncture his side. Blood ran into his eyes, tinting his surroundings red. The pain dulled and Alex felt his arms and legs weakening even as he struck out in slow motion.

A massive roar erupted from behind the violence and the Hyenas looked up from their victim as a large lioness leapt down the rocks towards them with intimidating speed. Sarafina clubbed one of the animals away with a powerful blow, and raked her claws across the face of another. Clearly their fun was over and the hyenas scattered into the foliage to avoid the dangerous lioness.

"Alex!" she cried, dropping to his level. Her voice sounded strange and echo-ish, like she was speaking through a tube. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine", said Alex weakly, spitting blood as he tried to rise to his feet. A wave of numbness flooded his body as he looked around. His obvious lie became even more obvious as his arm collapsed under his weight and he hit the ground, landing face down in the dirt.

Sarafina helped him roll over onto his back, the fear and worry clear in her eyes. "Stay here! I'll go get help!" she told him before sprinting back in the direction she came from.

Alex almost smiled. _What else was he going to do other than stay there?_ He shifted his weight to his back, immediately regretting it. Pain shot through his entire body as his injuries made their existence known. He lay there for what seemed like forever, though he knew it was probably less than two minutes. His blood continued to flow out of his body, making him a bit dizzy and short of breath. It was frightening and he had to fight the panic that his body wanted to succumb to. As he lay there, the reality of it all began to set in. _He was hurt... badly_. He might even _die_ if he didn't get help soon. He forced himself to breathe as he felt nausea rise and his vision begin to blur.

By the time Sarafina had returned, he felt as if he was living in a dream. His blood was pooling around him and he felt confusion take over his mind. He felt himself be lifted onto a lion's back and carried for some distance. The brilliant heat from the sun soon disappeared, only to be replaced by cool stone below him. As the minutes passed, his mental state began to fail. Thoughts became abstract and he struggled to keep reality from fantasy. Just as the exhaustion became too much for him to take, a single lucid thought shot through his head. _He hoped Nala was alright._ Then everything went dark.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

Alex awoke alone to the empty cave. He had probably slept for hours, but he was still exhausted. His body ached. All his joints were as stiff as the stone he now lay on. He turned his head to survey his surroundings and received strong protest from his muscles. He didn't recognize the cave, but heard voices from down a nearby tunnel. He assumed he must be in an off-branch of the main cave. He analyzed his injuries with as little motion as possible, finding deep gashes along his ribs and arms, torn flesh on his shoulder, and many bruises and small cuts everywhere. He swore silently as he realized how badly he was hurt; it would take a long while to recover from this.

There was a small wooden bowl on a rock next to him. It was filled with water, and its presence made him suddenly aware of his crippling thirst. He slowly reached for it, ignoring the pain and willing his stubborn muscles to move. He closed his fingers around the sides of the bowl and lifted it to his face. Most of the water flowed into his throat, but a decent amount ran down the corners of his mouth. He set the bowl back where he had found it and stared up at the stone ceiling. If he was trying to be less of a burden on the Pride, he thought to himself, he was pretty much failing.

"Can I see him now?" came a muffled voice from around the corner.

"No Nala, he's still sleeping." Alex easily recognized the voice as Sarabi's. "You're just going to have to be patient."

"But he's okay isn't he?"

"He should be fine, now go run along." the former queen told her quietly.

A disappointed sigh followed by faded footsteps signaled Nala's departure from the tunnel and Alex breathed his own sigh of relief. As much as he wanted to see Nala, he didn't want her to see him. It was embarrassing; he was mauled by the stupid beasts that were too poorly coordinated to hunt for themselves. Only a month earlier he had faced off against hyenas and received only a minor wound on his arm from it. His skills had deteriorated and he knew it. Alex looked up as he heard footsteps approached. Sarabi entered the cave and approached his side.

"You're awake." She observed with a small smile. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got chewed up by a crocodile and spit out." he answered, trying to say it with a light attitude.

"Well you definitely took a beating. Thank you."

Alex looked at her, unsure of what she meant. "Why are you thanking me?"

"The hyenas were looking for a fight; they would have done this to Nala if you hadn't been there." she said bluntly.

"I guess."

"You saved her, and we are all very thankful for that. Especially Sarafina."

Alex was surprised at her statement. "What? Sarafina saved _me._ I would be dead if she didn't show up."

"And Nala would be hurt or worse if you hadn't intervened." The lioness countered. "Don't try to undermine what you did, you deserve the thanks." Even though she was no longer queen, Sarabi maintained a definite tone of authority.

Alex sighed and stared at the cave's ceiling, unsure of what to say.

"Nala has been dying to see you for the past two days." She said softly.

Alex's eyes opened wide at this comment. "What?" he asked. "How long was I asleep?"

"Two days." repeated Sarabi with another small smile.

Alex shook his head in amazement. He had thought it had only been a half-day at the most.

"Do you think that you might be ready to have some visitors?" she asked.

Alex thought about it. He couldn't hide from Nala forever, and he really did want to see her. Besides, he needed to thank Sarafina as well. "Yea, I'm ready."

"I'll go get them." She said.

"Thanks." Alex watched Sarabi leave and immediately began dreading the upcoming reunion. He still had to leave, that was an adamant fact. God, he thought, why did everything have to get so convoluted? All he was trying to do was get out of their hair, and all he ended up doing was forcing them to take care of him.

"ALEX!" A small lioness ran into the cave and stopped at his side. Sarafina followed her daughter at a slower pace.

"I'm soooo sorry!" began Nala. "I didn't mean to start fighting with them, it just happened! I…"

"It's okay Nala," Alex interrupted, slightly thrown off guard by her guilt. "I'm fine."

"YOU ARE _NOT_!" she yelled, making Alex cringe at the verbal assault. "Sorry." she said in a quieter voice. "But you're not..."

"Yes, I am. I'm a little banged up here and there; but really, I'm fine." He turned to Sarafina who was looking at the two with content. "Thank you for coming." He started. "I would have been killed if you hadn't gotten the hyenas away."

Sarafina only shook her head with a knowing look. "Thank you for saving my daughter."

"I don't know what to say..." he said softly after several moments of hesitation.

"Don't say anything." Sarafina said softly. "Mufasa saw something in you when you first came here, and he was right."

"What? What did he see?"

She shook her head. "I can't tell you that, but it was good. I'll tell you some other time."

Alex nodded slowly, understanding that the lioness wasn't going to change her mind any time soon. He turned back to Nala and smiled grimly. "Well if you wanted me to hang around a little longer, you sure picked a good way to do it." The kid smiled and opened her mouth to speak, but was cut short by her mother.

"Nala, could you give us a minute please?" asked Sarafina.

"Okay…" she answered hesitantly before walking out of the cave, clearly not happy about having to leave."

As she exited, Sarabi reentered the cave and stood beside Sarafina. Clearly she had been waiting for this moment to rejoin the coversation. "Alex," Sarafina began, "about you leaving…"

"I know," Alex answered understandingly. "As soon as I can move around I'll be gone, I promise."

The lionesses glanced at each other for a moment before returning their gazes to Alex. "We think you should reconsider leaving, Alex." stated Sarabi.

"What?" he asked, unsure of what they meant.

"You are too important to the Pride; as a hunter, and as a member." Sarafina explained. "There are a lot of us who would really be at a loss without you. Nala especially."

Alex stared at them for a moment, unsure about the whole situation. "You _want_ me to stay?"

"If you really want to leave, we won't stop you." explained Sarafina. "But we would prefer that you stay.

Alex regained control of his mouth before she could add anything more. "But I contribute nothing to the Pride! I'm a mediocre hunter at best."

"You put in more effort into our success than most of the other huntresses. A lot of the younger ones really look up to you. And on top of that, you're practically family. Like Sarafina said, a lot of us would really miss you."

Sarafina nodded. "You provide more for this pride than just another animal carcass every few weeks."

So they really _wanted_ him to stay. Alex felt his eyes beginning to tear up, but quickly caught himself.

The truth began to set in slowly; he had been wrong. _Scar_ was wrong; Alex _was_ a part of the pride. This _was_ his family. He looked back in amazement how he had allowed himself to believe the lies and to see the worst in it all.

He nodded. "Okay, I'll stay."

The two lionesses smiled. "We'll let you tell Nala." said Sarafina. They thanked him and left. Nala entered the cave, a look of curiosity on her face.

"What were you talking about?" She asked.

"About me leaving."

Her face dropped instantly to sadness as she walked slowly to his side. "I still don't want you to go." she said quietly.

"Well, don't get too depressed just yet. I've got some good news for you."

She looked up hopefully. "What?"

"We decided that now isn't a good time for me to leave." He explained through a smile. "Maybe in a few years or so."

A wide grin erupted across Nala's face and she seemed to lose control of her body. She walked in a tight circle, her tail flicking around sporadically. "Really?"

"Yes, really." he replied happily.

Nala seemed to lose control of her voice and just stood there, mouth agape and wide with a smile.

Alex laughed at her reaction, despite the pain, and ran his fingers through her fur when she nuzzled his palm. He couldn't hug her because of his lack of mobility, but he pulled her as close to him as he could. She purred softly against his arm as he smiled down at her.

"I'm not going anywhere." he said to himself as much as to her. He liked the sound of that sentence. _Not going anywhere_.

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**Author's Note:**

**Thanks for the reviews, I really liked this chapter, so there wasn't a whole lot that I actually changed. Also, look out for my re-posted stories. I know a lot of you have already read them, but I would still like to share them with the newer crowd that has formed. Thanks!**

**-Ben**


	5. Chapter 5: Fixing What is Broken

*****Chapter 5*****

*****Fixing What is Broken*****

_Oh the power to be strong  
>And the wisdom to be wise<br>All these things will come to you in time.  
>On this journey that's your making,<br>There'll be answers that you seek  
>And it's you who climb the mountain,<br>It's you who reach the peak_

_In learning you will teach,  
>And in teaching you will learn,<br>You'll find your place beside the ones you love._

_-Son of Man by Phil Collins_

Alex's wounds were severe, but he doubted there would be any permanent damage. They were healing as expected, although slowly. Surprisingly, nothing had become infected and none of his muscles were damaged very badly. When he asked, he found out that the Shaman, Rafiki, had dressed the gashes and left the wooden bowl. Sarabi told him that the mandrill lived on the outskirts of the Pridelands in a large baobab tree. Alex made a note to thank him once he was better. After almost a week he was able to walk around, although he was too weak to venture far from his temporary cave. Nevertheless, he found it liberating.

Nala spent a lot of time with him. He wasn't leaving, but she clearly didn't want to take his presence for granted. The hyenas that had attacked him had been "punished" by Scar's definition. They were assigned to clean the royal throne room and were only allowed half portions at meal times. Alex knew that Scar didn't care that he almost died and also understood that the hyenas were not _really _being punished. He didn't press the issue though, he was just happy to be staying with the Pride.

Despite Nala's frequent company, Alex still had a ridiculous amount of time to himself. The hunts had always taken up most of his day and now he was too injured to partake in the outings. Many afternoons were spent staring at the stone walls of his temporary cave or watching the pride members move about in the common area. The fight had manifested itself into Alex's memory; he thought about it constantly. Yes it was traumatic, yes it was embarrassing, yes it was painful; but most of all it was puzzling. How had he lost the fight? He may have been outnumbered, but he had weapons. _Sharp _weapons. The fight on his first day was completely one sided in his favor, and he doubted that the hyenas he had lost to were really that much better than the ones he beat the first time. What was different? What had changed? The questions perplexed him for several days before he came to a conclusion. He had gotten lazy, plain and simple. Before he had come to the Pridelands, Alex was proficient in Kung Fu. Granted, he hadn't studied very strictly in recent years, but he had still made a point to practice at least once a week or so. He knew how to fight people and use a variety of weapons, especially the staff, but since he had arrived, he had not practiced his drills once, not even done simple kick or punch sets. No wonder his stance had felt awkward and foreign before he got mauled.

Furthermore, Alex felt weird about the whole kung fu thing in general. Kung fu was designed to be anti-human, not anti- animal. It was even criticized in the martial arts world as being too flashy and impractical. Alex didn't like the idea, but it seemed like he might have to adopt a new fighting style. What that was, he had no idea, but he needed to find it before he got into another fight. First priority: heal, and _then_ get back his old skills.

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Another week later, Alex woke up early before the sun rose. Most of his wounds were sealed and only moderately painful. Now was as good a time as any to start, so and quietly walked outside, careful not to wake the lionesses. He passed Nala, who was sleeping soundly next to her mother. She was still growing at a remarkable rate, becoming more like a fully grown lioness every day. Now she stood a bit taller than almost all the hyenas except a few. Alex had been tempted to make a growth chart for her; to see if he was right by guessing that she was taking on nearly an inch per week now, and her appetite reflected that. He shook his head after a moment of contemplation; he needed to focus now.

He exited the cave and started up a less used trail towards a higher level of Priderock. He walked at a brisk pace, trying to warm up his body. He arrived on wide plateau type structure overlooking the eastern side of the massive stone. The flat surface extended for about forty feet and seemed like an ideal spot to practice. He looked across the plains, the blood red sun had begun its daily eruption from the horizon and slowly inched itself higher into the steadily lightening sky. He stood in the center of the level surface, feet together and arms at his side. The young man bowed as was customary in such sets, and stepped out to a wider stance. He moved slowly and methodically through his form, performing various techniques on unseen attackers. He stretched his stiff limbs and re-familiarized his muscles with the movements that he once could execute as easily as breathing. The form ended and he pulled his feet together to bow.

Alex analyzed his injuries; nothing had reopened from the exercise and his joints felt looser, more flexible. It felt good. He bowed, and began the form again. He moved faster, kicked higher and punched stronger than the first time. By the end he was breathing a bit harder. A smile spread across his face. His techniques may have been neglected, but they were still there, just waiting to be practiced. He continued through the morning; reviewing all the techniques, forms, and drills he had ever done. When he ran out of stuff to practice, he exercised. Pushups, situps, sprints, pull-ups, anything he could think of. As he progressed, he realized that his body wasn't stiff from his wounds, but from lying around doing nothing all day. Alex decided he would do the most complicated kick he knew. It required him to spin and throw himself horizontally towards the target, and strike with his rear heel. He knew that it had no real application value, but it was a feat that took a lot of skill. Skill that he wanted _back_.

Alex took up his stance and took a deep breath. If he could perform this, he was well on his way to where he was before the crash. He took the first step, then the second, his rear foot left the ground as he twisted his torso to the side. For a moment, he was airborne. His muscles moving in complete synchronism as he spun through the air. Then came the sharp pain in his side. Alex cringed and curled his body involuntarily, throwing himself off balance. He tripped and went sprawling across the plateau while gripping his side. Once he had lost momentum he rolled onto his back and groaned. His shirt was already lightly stained red from the reopened wound on his rib. It was bleeding, but not significantly; it would clot on its own.

He lay there for several minutes, staring the cloudless sky. Okay, so maybe the stiffness he felt _was_ in part from his injuries, and maybe he _was _moving a little too fast for the first day back on the field. Alex sighed, rose to his feet, and headed back down the slopes of Priderock. He had done enough for one day.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

"Where have you been?" asked Nala crossly as Alex descended the hillside trail to the common area. "We've been looking all over for you."

"I was exercising." He responded concisely.

The young lioness glared at him. "Well would you at least tell us before you go next time?"

Alex laughed to himself and nodded. "You're just mad that I didn't take _you_."

Now it was Nala's turn to smile. "A little, but you really shouldn't be pushing yourself! You aren't completely better yet." She nodded to the blood on his shirt. "Is that from your exercise?"

"Yea..." Alex admitted. "But it's fine. Trust me." He walked past her down the slope, thinking he had ended the conversation. Nala clearly did not consider it over.

She caught up to him and cut him off. "Fine. But next time, you _are_ taking me wherever it is you exercise. I don't want to find you unconscious on the side of Priderock because you reopened a cut and bled out."

Alex laughed. "What are you, my mother?"

"You're still getting better! Do you want to be stuck back in that cave again?"

Alex sighed, still smiling. "Alright, alright. Tomorrow morning I'll take you with me."

Nala seemed to be satisfied as she fell into step alongside him as he started off down the trail. "Good. 'Cause I won't _let_ you go without me."

"Yes, of course, your _highness_." Alex replied sarcastically.

She grinned. "I kind of like the sound of that."

"Don't get used to it."

"Too late."

He looked down at her with a bit of confusion. "What?"

"I'm used to it already; from now on, I want you to address me as royalty."

Alex stared at her for a moment as she stared back at him with an expression of pure seriousness. _Was she for real?_ he thought quietly to himself. He waited for a break in her expression; a blink, a wink, anything to give away the joke like she always did; Nala could never keep a straight face for long. She didn't even _breathe_.

"HAHA!" she burst suddenly, making Alex jump back in surprise. "Gotcha."

Alex only stared at her smug amusement as she continued down the trail. He shook his head slowly, reminding himself that she wasn't the cub that she once was she was growing up. She could control her laughter far better than she used to. It was strange really, he thought. He had been here for some time, nearly two months now. He had met her when she was only a small ball of fur, hardly the size of a cat. Now, she was nearing dog size and was almost as big as some of the hyenas.

"Are you coming?" she asked impatiently from afar. "I promise, it was just a joke!"

Alex laughed at the comment and nodded. "Yea... I'm coming."

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

The rest of the day passed slowly. Alex hung around the main cave, having spent most of his energy that morning. He dressed his reopened cut with a handmade bandage left by Rafiki and took a short nap. By the time he awoke, the sun was beginning to set, reminding him of the evening hunt. The return of the hunting party was the only significantly interesting event that evening, so Alex went out to see how well they had fared.

Kova was one of the senior huntresses and had been directing this outing. As he approached, Alex identified her darker coat from the other lighter pelts that had already begun to disband. She nodded to Alex as he approached.

"How'd the hunt go?" he asked.

Kova shrugged. "It went fine I guess, not fantastic though." She looked at the carcasses lying on the side of the common area. The hyenas were already starting to consume the meat at a fantastic rate. "Two wildebeests and a zebra."

"That's better than usual." commented Alex.

Kova rolled her eyes. "It is, but it doesn't matter. We will get the same amount as usual and the hyenas will get more than they usually do. Why we provide for them I'll never know, they do absolutely nothing all day except for the occasional hunt that they ruin."

Alex knew exactly what she was saying. Hunts were very long, difficult and exhausting. When the hunters didn't get to keep their kills it could get pretty irritating very fast. "Well what can you do?" he shrugged hopelessly.

"Nothing, and that's the worst part." Kova lowered her head and carried herself back to the main cave past Alex. After a few steps she turned a lighter expression on her face. "On a lighter note, we're all looking forward to you rejoining us when you're better."

Alex smiled. "Thanks, I'm looking forward to it too."

She nodded and turned away, leaving Alex alone in the darkening lands. He looked out at the surrounding landscape and felt a distinct pull towards it all. It was a feeling he had always felt as a child, but hadn't felt much since his arrival in Africa. Now it was back; he wanted to be among the wilderness.

He grinned and looked back towards Priderock; no one would miss him for a while. He had time for a walk. He started off There were two times in the day that Alex loved: sunrise, and twilight. He liked the sunrise for the obvious reasons that are well known by anyone who had witnessed the event. Twilight however, was different. Its beauty was subtle, and not necessarily visual. Alex walked through the long grass that brushed the tips of his fingers, breathing very lightly. Something about twilight stopped his breathing. Maybe it was the lack of animal noises, or maybe it was the abruptly cool air that became so abundant after the sun went below the horizon. Whatever it was, Alex loved it. It was a perfect conclusion to any day.

By the time he returned to Priderock, night had fully fallen and most of the lionesses, including Nala, had retired to their usual sleeping area. Alex found his way through the cave of unconscious bodies to his temporary cave and went to bed. He still was a bit too weak to return to his old cave.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))**

The next morning Alex woke before the sun again, and carefully woke Nala before exiting the cave. Nala was clearly exhausted and still unawake from her sleep. Alex smiled as she complained.

"Why are we up so early?" she asked. "The sun isn't even up yet!"

"It's good to get up early." Alex replied simply as he maintained a fast pace up the side Priderock. He broke into a run as he neared the plateau, his heart pumping from the uphill exertion. Nala kept up with him, and was slightly out of breath by the time they reached the level ground.

Nala glared at him. "Okay, you go do your _exercises_ or whatever, _I'm_ going back to sleep."

Alex laughed and gestured to a shady tree to the side of the area. As the young lioness got comfortable, he bowed towards the horizon and began the same workout he had done the day before. Alex practiced all his drills and reviewed all his techniques. The sun soon rose and Alex continued to practice. Within an hour he was nearly finished and Nala was starting to wake. She watched him with curiosity as he performed the various moves to the air.

"What exactly are you doing?" she finally asked.

Alex finished his routine and turned to answer her question. "It's called Kung Fu." he said. "I _used_ to be good at it."

"But what _is _it?" she asked, still confused.

"Humans made up a bunch of different ways to fight each other, and this is one of them."

Nala looked at him blankly. "Why do you want to fight each other so much?"

"We don't _want_ to, it just happens. People fight just like lions and other animals do."

"Well it looks kind of silly." She said, lowering her head to her paws. "It's like dancing."

Alex wiped the sweat off his brow and sat down beside her. "It may look kind of odd, and maybe it is, but it's _very_ good against people." He laid down in the shade before adding, "And it worked pretty well on those hyenas that first day I found you."

"Well it didn't work so great the second time now did it?" He couldn't see her face, but Alex could tell from the sound of her voice that she was smiling.

"That's why I'm doing this!" he chuckled quietly. "I don't want to get mauled again." He stood again and walked out to the center of the plateau. Having finished his practice, Alex dropped and began a set of pushups. He had completed at least twenty when he felt a sudden weight on his shoulders. "Nala! Get off me!" he shouted through a grin. He tried to keep going with the added burden, but collapsed into the dust before he could perform another pushup.

"I thought you wanted to get better." She said sarcastically.

"This isn't helping!"

She cocked her head and glanced at the human. "I kind of prefer you from this angle, I don't have to look at your face! "

Alex laughed at her insult, and shifted his shoulders under her paws. He slipped out from under her grasp and pushed her onto her side. "Let's find out what you look like when _you're_ shoved into the dirt!"

She yelled in surprise as Alex jumped onto her. They twisted around each other for several moments, each trying to get leverage on the other.

Alex was surprised at how well Nala was doing. She weighed a bit less than Alex, but she knew how to use her weight. They were both panting when Alex pulled the lioness's legs out from under her and pinned her to the ground.

"HA!" He cried in victory as Nala squirmed under his weight, but it was no use. He had her down and finished.

"Fine! You win." She conceded grudgingly. Alex sat back and they both stared at each other for a moment, still breathing hard. Suddenly the whole situation seemed hilarious and Alex burst out laughing. Nala joined in quickly and playfully pushed Alex down before returning to her spot under the tree.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

Alex and Nala quickly turned their morning outings into a rigid routine. They would climb the slopes together, Alex would practice his Kung Fu, and they would wrestle before he started his harder exercises. As the weeks passed, Alex spent more time on more difficult exercises and the wrestling matches with Nala slowly evolved into sparring matches. The terrain that made up the backside of Priderock proved to be a natural obstacle course. The duo spent a decent amount of time each morning just running across the patchwork of boulders, trees, and grasses. Alex gradually modified his techniques and cut out the useless stuff that was useless in real fights. He refined the moves to be balanced, simple, and effective. Over time he felt the effects of the workouts; at first it was subtle, but soon it became obvious. He lost most of his excess body fat and his muscles became more toned than they ever had been while he was there. Alex felt fantastic and Nala seemed to like the workouts as well. His wounds healed completely within another week and soon he rejoined the evening hunts. The mornings, however, were sacred.

Soon, Alex was recovered enough to return to his cave. He changed the now dry grasses that made up his bed and easily returned it to the way it was before he left it. He looked around his small cave, smiling at its simplicity. Most of mankind lived with far more, but he didn't need it. And really, he didn't want it. This was a simple life; not easy, but simple and rewarding.

He was about to lie down on his newly lined bed when a small object caught his eye; a small wooden bowl. He bent down to pick it up, instantly remembering that it had belonged to Rafiki. He had expected the shaman to return for his bowl, but so far he had not. It reminded him that he still needed to thank him for the help. Tomorrow, he resolved, he would go and find him. Surely Zazu would be able to give him directions.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

After the following morning's routine, Alex departed for the great tree with Nala. The lioness didn't need to go, but she seemed to want an excuse to get out of Priderock. They walked and talked for over an hour, making sure to keep Priderock in their sights. Alex was pretty comfortable with the layout of the Pridelands from all the hunts he had partaken in, but he still was well aware how easy it was to get turned around in the vast savannah. Zazu's directions were easy enough to follow, but Alex soon found himself relying more heavily on Nala than the bird. Soon a massive tree appeared on the horizon. It stood alone in a field of short grass and dwarfed the usual Acias that were so common in the African wild. It didn't take much figuring to guess who lived there.

"Have you ever met Rafiki?" He asked Nala.

She shrugged. "No, he's been around Priderock before, but I've never really met him."

"Do you know at all what he's like?"

Nala smiled. "My mom always sent me off to do something else when he was around. She said he would scare me…"

"Great" Alex remarked, not really pleased with her explanation. "I'll expect a monster."

"I don't think he was scary like that, just... _weird_." Nala's expression fell as she came across another memory. "Rafiki… he was the one that crowned Simba as the prince when he was born."

Alex sighed and set a hand on her back in an attempt to comfort her.

Nala shook it off "No, its fine. Really." She looked up at Alex, the sadness in her eyes now gone. "I just still miss him sometimes."

"Yea... I do too."

The two Pridelanders continued on in silence for a while until they approached the great tree and stood at its base, slightly in awe at the sheer size of it. They looked at each other, unsure as to how to proceed.

"Should we just yell?" asked Nala.

Alex shrugged and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hello? Rafiki, are you up there?" he called.

He was about to call up again, but a sharp answer fell down to them. "SHHHHHH! Dis is Rafiki's quiet time!"

"What?" Alex and Nala responded simultaneously.

A deep sigh came from the high branches and a rustling followed. A figure dropped to the ground behind Alex, making him whirl around out of surprise. The mandrill was about half Alex's height, but only because of his bent posture that was so common in primates.

"AHAA!" yelled Rafiki excitedly, poking Alex in the chest. "Yo dat man I treated a month ago! Yes yes, vedy good recovery it looks like." He grabbed Alex's arm and held it close to his face to analyze the scars that had only recently healed.

Alex didn't know what to make of this creature. He glanced at Nala, but she was equally stunned. "Uh, yea… I just wanted to thank you for the help and return your bowl."

"Yes yes, it was no problem, Rafiki is glad to help de lions." He looked over at Nala. "AND YOU! You ah Sarafina's girl! How is yo mada?"

"Um… she's fine, thank you." replied Nala politely.

"You ah getting much bigger, yes you ah. Soon to be a huntah I dink?"

Nala's face lit up at the hint of a hunt. "Yea, I'm going out on either this full moon or the next."

"Wandaful! Just be careful not ta take too much. De herds ah hurting." Rafiki said solemnly.

"Why?" asked Nala curiously.

Alex looked down at the confused lioness. "We're overhunting," he told her. "The herds can't repopulate fast enough to keep up with us."

"Yes yes." Concurred Rafiki. "De ah hurting.

"Why doesn't anybody talk about it?" she asked with confusion. "How come you haven't told me before?"

Alex shrugged. "Scar doesn't care. I only get mad when I think about it."

"Angah will make yo strong!" Rafiki said loudly, raising his arms over his head. "...And also weak. Be careful of dat, young man."

Alex nodded softly, slightly surprised by Rafiki's change in demeanor. Clearly there was more to this guy than he had initially guessed.

"Someone should have told me." she insisted with a tinge of resentment.

"Sorry." Alex replied, trying to keep a smile off his face. You'll be the first to know next time something happens."

She nodded, "I'll be in the loop soon enough I guess."

"Soon."

Rafiki eyed her carefully, then looked back to Alex with the same expression. "You two..."

"What?" Alex asked.

Rafiki shook his head, a small smile on his face. "Oh nuting... Just remembering sumtin dat Mufasa told me not too long ago."

"Mufasa?" Nala asked with confusion.

"Yep. De good old king himself."

"The... the dead one." Alex said softly, hoping that he wasn't being too blunt.

Rafiki laughed aloud at the stunned duo. "No, de one dat has _moved on_."

Alex blinked; that was an interesting way to look at it. He had never been very religious, but he was a strong believer in the afterlife, heaven, or whatever you wanted to call it.

"He is among de stahs now, and still vedy much alive."

Nala looked at the shaman quizzically, the gears in her head turning. "So you're saying that Mufasa and Simba... they're still around?"

Rafiki nodded. "Not like you or me, but yes. Dey are still _around_."

Alex smiled; he liked Rafiki, even if he was a little odd. He wasn't so sure about him being able to _talk_ to the deceased, but he wasn't going to question it. The message wasn't something that he wanted to undermine.

The continued to talk for a long while, and although his dialect and train of thought was incredibly difficult to follow, Alex found the mandrill fascinating. They spent almost an hour talking with the shaman before they decided it was time to head home.

"Ah, one last ting." Said Rafiki, just as they were beginning to walk away. "If you fight de hyenas again, do not play!"

"What?" asked Alex, unsure what he was trying to say.

"If dey ah going to attack, attack dem first! If dey want to fight, fight dem harder den dey want to fight you."

"Scar would _kill_ me if I attacked them first." he replied with a smile.

Rafiki smiled right back at him. "Either dat, or end up wit me at your side again."

The dark promise dug its way into Alex's mind, reminding him of how close he had been to death. Rafiki was right, the hyenas weren't playing around, and neither should he. He nodded towards the shaman. "Point taken... thanks."

"No problem."

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

Alex and Nala headed towards the towering stone structure that they called home, just as the afternoon was beginning to really sink in. The morning dew was fully evaporated and the mind-numbing hums of the countless bugs were as solid as ever. By Alex's calculations they would be back by late afternoon, plenty of time before he needed to go on the evening hunt. The two of them walked and talked and joked, with little to be concerned about in the carefree wilderness; here there was no Scar, no hyenas, and no risk of overhunting. Alex always appreciated moments like these: when nothing needed to be done and everyone was satisfied. It was an extremely relaxing feeling, but as much as he liked the feeling, he knew that it wouldn't last long. Inevitably, their conversation returned to the woes of the pride.

"So what if you rotate which herds you hunt from?" Nala suggested.

"We do, but we always end up rotating through them too fast."

She sighed in frustration for what seemed like the thousandth time. "Then let's just get rid of the hyenas! Then we won't _have _ to worry about overhunting!"

"And while we're at it," Alex agreed, "we'll de-throne Scar too!"

She looked up at him irritably. "You know I'd like to."

He chuckled quietly. "I know you would, but you can't. Try to relax, Nala. We're out in the middle of _nowhere_. Don't let Scar ruin your day without him even being here."

"He just bothers me _so _much!"

"I know, but let it go. We don't have anything to worry about out here."

As if on cue, a sudden cackle of shrill laughter sounded from over a hill to their left, making Alex and Nala freeze in mid-step, their eyes glued to the direction of the noise.

Nala eyed Alex nervously."Was that what I _think_ it was?"

"It _sounded_ like a hyena." Alex nodded darkly. _So much for being away from the troubles at home._

"This far away from Priderock?"

He nodded again. "Whatever they're doing, they must not want anyone to see."

Her ears flattened to the back of her head. "That can't be good."

The two Pridelanders climbed the hill slowly and looked out to the land only short distance away. A large rock protruded from the dry ground, and against it stood a small antelope with a frightened look in its eye. It couldn't have been more than a month old, butAround it stood a handful of hyenas, their sight making Alex's stomach drop instantly. They all had the poor animal cornered against the stone, snapping at its feet every time it tried to escape. Their demonic cackling saturated the air and put panic into the step of the young antelope.

"Oh god..." Nala whispered softly. "This... This is _wrong_."

Alex felt rage fill him as he watched the hyena's torturous hunt, if it could even be called that. Nala was right, this was completely and utterly _wrong_; it violated the unwritten code of the predator. This was just _cruel_!

Alex turned to Nala. "Stay here!" he told her as he rose from the ground, his mind wishing that he had brought his spear with him.

"What? No!" she replied, making him look at her with surprise.

"Nala, you could get really hurt from them, I'm…"

She cut him off before he could finish "No, _y__ou_ could get really hurt _again_!"

"I can handle it! Besides, your mom would kill me if you got hurt!"

"My mom would kill _me_ if you got hurt!"

"Nala…"

"Don't _Nala_ me! I'm a lot bigger than I was last time, I can handle myself!"

Alex sighed angrily at the lioness's stubbornness and stole a glance back down the hill only to see that the hyenas were advancing on the antelope. He knew that there wasn't any way to avoid her involvement, better to just accept it. "Fine! Let's go."

The two of them descended the hillside quickly and Alex grabbed a sturdy stick about the size of his spear. He decided to try Rafiki's advice: _attack them first_. Instead of trying to talk them out of killing the antelope, he charged the closest hyena and struck him across the face with the stick. His victim barely had enough time to look at its attacker before it was sent sprawling across the grass. The other hyenas turned to face the new arrivals, clearly confused at the reason for this interruption.

Alex decided he should probably help their small brains understand. "Leave the antelope alone!" he demanded. Nala growled at his side, her fur was bristled. He did have to admit, she was quite intimidating despite her youth.

"Hey!" protested one of the hyenas. "You're a hunter; you kill these things all the time!"

"No, I hunt the old and sick so you mangy beasts can eat! You don't kill the young just for the fun of it!"

The hyenas were clearly becoming irritated; all their focus was on the human and lioness.

Nala decided to speak up, her voice dangerous. "Leave right now, or we'll _make_ you."

Alex wished she hadn't used those words, a quick headcount put them at six to two; clearly the advantage belonged to the hyenas. The hyenas seemed to know this too, and they chuckled to each other as they walked closer to the duo.

Alex saw behind them that the antelope had managed to climb over the rock formation to safety. At least _it_ was out of the picture, but now they had to deal with all of the hyenas themselves. If he waited any longer, the hyenas would surround them; something he desperately wanted to avoid, the sharp memories of his last fight still stuck in his head. Rafiki's advice had worked so far, why not again?

Alex leapt towards the hyena on his left, swinging his improvised staff directly down on its head just as Nala leapt at the hyena on her right. Alex managed to knock his animal unconscious and he moved quickly to meet the next two creatures who were already moving towards him. Nala quickly overwhelmed her hyena and threw him to the side before raking her claws across the face of the next attacker. She ducked to avoid a third hyena's paw and tackled him to the ground when he missed.

Alex elbowed one of the hyenas as it lunged at him, making it reel from the blow. The second came in just as fast, but he managed to swat it down with a sharp strike of his stick. Both fell to the ground, disoriented and Alex stepped back to regain his balance.

Seeing their fallen comrades on the ground, the two remaining hyenas exchanged concerned glances before moving towards the young man and his dangerous chunk of wood. Alex grinned at their apprehension and looked over to make sure Nala was still alright. To his surprise, Nala had beaten two hyenas into a bloody unconsciousness and was now battling her third. She sidestepped his aggressive lunge and launched herself into his side, knocking him to the ground in a pile of dust. She jumped onto his torso and placed her clawed paw on the beast's throat, drawing an instinctual gag when she pressed her claws down on the soft tissue.

"Blink, and you'll die in the dark." she warned the hyena, her voice dangerous.

Alex turned back to the final two hyenas and swung his staff closer to them, forcing them to retreat back against the rock face. One of the creatures must have had enough, because he leapt at the human in a panicked, desperate attempt to . Alex easily struck him to the side with enough force to keep him down, and set himself into a strong stance against the uninjured hyena.

"You done?" he asked threateningly.

"Yea yea, no problem, we're done!" responded the hyena frantically. "We get it, you win!"

"Good. Get out of here." He demanded coldly as he stepped to the side. He turned to Nala and nodded. She nodded back and removed her paw from the hyena's throat. Both beasts ran past the duo and disappeared behind a pile of rocks, leaving behind all of their unconcious teammates on the ground where they had fallen.

Nala looked over to Alex, a bright fire in her eye that screamed to be released. Alex grinned, but didn't speak. Instead, he just walked over her quickly and nudged her back towards Priderock.

"Come on, let's get out of here before we start talking."

She nodded, still slightly in a daze from the fight and walked in silence for a while, almost unsure if the events they had just partaken in had actually happened. After a short while, Alex broke the silence.

"How did you feel about that?"

She looked up at him with the same fire as before. "That was _awesome_! We beat the living _snot_ out of them!"

He laughed openly at her enthusiasm, glad that she wasn't at all traumatized by the event. "You did really good by yourself."

She looked up at him and smiled in appreciation. "You too, I guess the morning practices have really paid off." A small bead of blood ran down her nose from a small cut on her forehead and Alex leaned down to wip it off with his shirt.

"Yea, I think they have." He replied, now grinning as well.

The young man and lioness walked side by side back to Priderock. The feeling of relaxation was gone, now replaced with a strong sense of accomplishment. The two of them had taken on a pack three times their size and come out without a problem. It was certainly something to be proud of.

*****Author's Note*****

**Another chapter done, moving right along! Please comment!**

**-Ben**


	6. Chapter 6: To Hunt

*****Chapter 6*****

*****To Hunt*****

_Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now  
>Cartwheels turn to car wheels through the town<br>And they tell him, "Take your time. It won't be long now.  
>'Til you drag your feet to slow the circles down"<em>

_So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty  
>Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true<br>There'll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty  
>Before the last revolving year is through.<br>-Circle Game by Joni Mitchell_

The savannah passed beneath their feet softly as they went, the two Pridelanders still mildly in awe at their accomplishment. Besides the fact that they had beaten a force three times their size, they had also made the hyenas _pay_. Finally the filthy beasts had gotten a little justice for all the hunts they had ruined and all the pain and discomfort they had brought to Priderock. Alex had never been one for revenge, but this made him feel _good._

He looked down at Nala, who was going off about how she loved the look in one of the hyena's eyes; he wasn't really listening, just smiling and nodding whenever she paused. He enjoyed her energy and attitude more than the actual conversation; it was a bright change from the recent gloom that had been saturating their home.

As she talked on, he couldn't help but notice the distinct details of the growing lioness. She was big enough now to take on most hyenas (as she had just demonstrated) and her mannerisms were becoming more and more mature. Ever since the tragedy in the gorge, she had been more adultish, but now it seemed different. It was more than just keeping responsibilities and being polite; Nala was getting to the point where many of the adults were beginning to regard her as an equal. All that stood in her way was her first hunt; the final rite of passage before she could be considered an official adult. It almost made him sad to see her grow up, she still seemed like a cub to him.

The duo soon approached Priderock and entered the common area which was currently deserted of the usual lionesses. Suddenly a massive roar erupted from the lip of Priderock, making them both freeze in their steps. Alex and Nala looked up, startled at the noise, and saw Zira glaring down at them with eyes of pure fury. Scar's queen descended the incline quickly, anger fueling her steps. Her movement was fluid, but aroused an air of recklessness from sheer anger. She came to a stop directly in front of Alex, or more correctly, on _top_ of Alex. She was so close to him that he was forced to take several steps back.

_ "Who do you think you are!_ She hissed venomously, her eyes the dark reflection of death itself.

Alex was taken aback; he stared at her for a moment before responding. "W-what?"

"You think you can just fight anyone you please? You think that _you_ can decide how this Pride is run? You think that I am just going to let you do whatever you want?"

Alex looked past her at a group of hyenas chuckling in the corner, bruised and bloodied from some earlier scuffle. He was pretty sure he knew where they had gotten hurt, but was surprised at how quickly they had come back.

"Wait a minute!" he cried indignantly. "They were going to kill a baby antelope! _They_ were the ones that were breaking the rules!"

Zira sneered, clearly resisting the urge to claw him across the face. "Well maybe they wouldn't _have_ to hunt for themselves if the hunting party did their job!"

"What!" Alex and Nala exclaimed simultaneously. The teenager was getting really irritated. The hunting party provided more than enough for the pride despite the hyenas' greed. But before he could speak his mind, Zira cut him off.

"Let me make this clear," Zira hissed through bared teeth. "The hyenas are _far_ more valuable to me than _you _are, and I wouldn't hesitate for a _moment_ to throw you out."

Alex blinked. "Are you serious right now?"

She grinned evily, extending her claws and gouging deep grooves in the soil. "_Dead_ serious. And furthermore, there's a lot that can happen once you leave our borders.

"You will treat the hyenas as our family, or you will leave! Is that understood? And I should tell you, a lot can happen once you're outside the borders." Zira's claws had extended and she gouged deep grooves in the soil where she stood. "Understood?"

Alex was stunned. Not only had Zira threatened to exile him, but unless he was mistaken, she also was threatening to _murder_ him once he was outside the border!

"Is that _understood_? She repeated icily. Her eyes begged Alex to attack, and he desperately wanted to. But he kept his cool.

"Yes... I understand." He said as calmly as he could through grit teeth and quivering lips, shaking from rage.

"Good." Zira spoke in a near whisper before turning away and heading back up towards Priderock's main cave. Alex watched her leave, slightly in awe at her ferocity, but more repulsed by her abuse of power.

"My god," said Nala quietly. "She's crazy."

Alex laughed, partly at her joke and partly to help shake off his nerves. "She sure is." as he walked toward the hunting party's gathering point.

"What are you going to do about it?" asked Nala with an edge in her voice. Clearly she was in the mood for some justice.

"For now, nothing." Alex replied bluntly as he shrugged. "I'm pretty sure she was serious about killing me, and I'd like to avoid that."

Nala blinked in irritation. "You can't just roll over and _take_ that! You were right!"

"Gotta chose your battles Nala. For now, I think I'll keep my head where it is."

Nala sighed with frustration. "Fine, but she is going to be` put in her place eventually." With that, she turned away from Alex and started up toward where her mother liked to sit in her time off.

Alex watched her go, hoping she understood why he had done what he did. His existence here was very delicate, and he had to tread very carefully. She was strong, that he knew, but she could get into some trouble if she wasn't careful.

He shook his head and started off to the rally point for the hunting party. In the short time since they had returned, a decent number of his teammates had gathered, each eyeing him with curious stares. Even Kova looked at him unusually.

"What?" he asked as he approached them.

A few exchanged glances, and Kova stepped forward. "Everyone's heard about yours and Nala's little _adventure_ this afternoon." she explained. "I think we'd all like to hear what _actually_ happened."

He stared at them blankly for several moments before speaking. "We literally _just _got back. How has _anybody_ already heard anything about _anything_?"

Kova smiled slightly. "Rya overheard the hyenas ratting you out to Zira. They were back a while before you were."

"Oh... right."

They all continued to look at him with wordless expectation.

Alex sighed, not really wanting to talk about it again. But the lionesses all looked so hopeful that he felt too bad to turn them down. "Alright, but don't tell Zira that I've been telling the story, she'd think that I was bragging about it."

He relayed the events of the fight to the huntresses as they walked through the savannah towards the grazing herds. They all listened intently as he told of the fight. It didn't take too long to explain and he didn't think it was that interesting of a story, but the lionesses were thrilled, clearly ecstatic that someone had finally done something about the hyenas. Although Alex didn't quite see their actions as rebellious, he didn't want to take away their good mood. He also didn't feel like mentioning Zira's threat; he still wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

It was long past sundown when the party returned back to Priderock with their kills. The moon was high, and the sky was a dark black. The hunt went as well as could have been expected. They only caught two wildebeest and both were young adults. Alex had made one of the kills, but he almost wished that he hadn't. It wasn't right to kill the young of a herd. He had too, there weren't any sick or stragglers to take instead, but it was still wrong. The rest of the party must have felt similarly, because no one had talked on the trek home; their earlier enthusiasm diminished by the frustration of their task.

Alex climbed Priderock slowly, his feet heavy and mind weary._ He had just killed the young of the herd_... How was he any different from the hyenas? How could he judge them when he was doing the same thing that they were? He heard familiar voices from a nearby cave and leaned up against the stone wall. He wasn't quite ready to talk to Nala or anyone yet, he wanted more time to his thoughts. 

He stared out at the moonlit grasslands, his heart slowing to a steady beat as the constant wind blew through his uncut hair. The euphoria of the small victory over the hyenas was gone, replaced by the demoralizing and exausting reminder of the parasitic role they were now being forced to play against the Pridelands. Alex knew his guilt about killing the young wildebeest was misplaced, but it ate at him nonetheless. He knew that it wasn't his fault, he was just hunting to feed his family.

The dimly lit land was stunning, he thought as he analyzed it. With the falling temperatures, the daytime humidity was giving way to nighttime dew and moisture. The grass glistened in the moonlight, giving the illusion of lushness. But in reality, Alex knew, the ground and the plants were parched. It hadn't rained in a long while, even for the dry season. The evening dew was all the water the land was getting, and that wasn't nearly enough for anything to live off of.

The Pridelands were showing signs of hurting, but it was very good at hiding the pain. Even on several weeks of overhunting and without rain, the plants were still a bit green, the river still had water, and the herds were still around. How much more they could take, however, Alex didn't know. Soon, the breaking point would be reached and the true nature of their abuse would become clear.

"Alex?"

He opened his eyes at the sound of Sarafina's voice.

"What are you doing out here?"

He paused for a moment, slightly unsure of what to say. "Just... thinking."

"Well come in... we were wondering where you were."

He nodded and followed her into the cave, pausing for a minute to allow his eyes to adjust to the darker environment.

"How was the hunt?" Nala asked immediately when she saw him.

He shrugged. "Caught a few... not much."

Sarafina sat down next to her daughter. "We were just talking about Nala's first hunt."

Nala sighed in an annoyed tone. "She's making me wait _another_ moon."

Sarafina smiled at her daughter's impatience and responded. "I know you want to help dear, but you still need some more time to grow. Sending you out now would be just _begging _for you to get hurt."

"I know, I know." she retorted irritably. "But only _one_ more moon and that's _it_. I'm done waiting."

"Of course, dear." Sarafina said with a grin.

Nala sighed and rested her head on her paws. She glanced at Alex as he sat there, toying with his knife.

"You said you got a few?" she asked Alex.

Alex shrugged. "Two wildebeest, but they were too young. I don't like it."

Sarafina nodded, understanding what he meant. "These are difficult times. We have to do what we need to do to survive."

"Yea, and I'll bet the herds are thinking the same thing." Alex replied dryly. "I don't know how much more of this they can take."

Nala had been listening carefully and decided to interject. "It will be fine. We just need to keep at it." She rolled onto her back and stretched to her full length. "When I join in we'll get some more!"

Alex knew that her arrogance was partly a joke and he smiled. But still, he knew that Nala's optimism was misplaced. If something didn't change soon… well, something _had_ to change soon. "You said the next moon?" he asked the young lioness.

"Yep." She replied happily, sitting back up to face her friend.

Alex nodded. He was happy for her, but simultaneously almost afraid for her. Nala expected to partake in the glorious tradition that was really neither. The glory was gone, and there was nothing _traditional _ about what they were doing. He was afraid of what she would find and how she would react to it all.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The days until Nala's first hunt passed at a reasonable pace. She continued to train with Alex in the morning, getting more involved with his drills as she approached her full adult size. Eventually she was able to wrestle Alex to the ground and pin him, a feat that had seemed impossible only a few weeks earlier. Alex was fascinated with her development. It was as if a switch had been flipped, unleashing all of the lioness' potential. She was an adult, and her first hunt would finalize the transition.

The Pridelands seemed to inversely mirror Nala's fantastic growth. As she developed, the lands withered. She grew strong, and it grew weak. It was deep into what should have been the rainy season, but still no rain had fallen. The grass had lost the last of its color, turning brown, dry, and noisy. The rivers which once threatened to flood the plains now trickled through their beds. Alex was worried. Not only was it a serious fire hazard, but with the herds dwindling in numbers, food was becoming scarce for the first time since he had arrived.

The evening before the full moon, and Nala's first hunt, Alex was lying on his back looking up at the stars. The hill he rested on was raised above the savannah and located far enough away from Priderock to muffle the hyenas' cackling. He stared at the stars, locating the familiar constellations that he had been taught as a young kid back home. It was funny how the arid climate and lack of human settlement made the stars that much brighter. Really, the sky wasn't black with bright spots, but bright with dark spots. It was fascinating, humbling even.

A rustling in the dry grass caught his attention, but he didn't even look. He knew it was Nala, though he wasn't sure how. It was the sound of her footsteps, the pace at which her paws hit the ground, that gave her away. He knew her too well, he thought as she laid down beside him.

They sat there in several peaceful moments of silence before she finally spoke. "I'm going out tomorrow." She said with a detached sense of happiness.

Alex was silent for a while before he turned to face her. He stared into her sapphire eyes, slightly taken aback by their size. He knew what he wanted to tell her, he had been formulating it in his mind for the past several days now. He wanted her to know how much he cared about her, how much she meant to him as a friend.

"Nala..." he began slowly, feeling slightly foolish at the seriousness of it all.

She smiled, sensing his discomfort. "What?"

He grinned back. "You're grown up now."

"Yea... I guess I am."

"I remember when you were little... before you turned into the amazing and beautiful lioness that you are now. You've done so great..." He paused a moment to feel the subtle vibrations of her deep-toned purrs that shuddered through the air like soft thunder. "You're going to do amazing tomorrow, and... and I'm really proud of you."

Nala turned up at the stars, glowing with pride.

Alex leaned in to her side, nearly touching her face with his. _"Simba would be proud of you too."_

Nala kept her eyes locked to the heavens as she nodded, her smile turning slightly sad. She stayed quiet, her eyes scanning the elaborately adorned sky and sighed deeply, seeming to expel her troubled thoughts. "Sarabi told me once that when kings die… they go up into the stars and watch over us."

Alex nodded. "I believe that."

"Do you think Simba is up there too?" she asked.

"I think that we'll all be up there someday... _Together_."

"How do you know?" Nala looked at him worriedly. "How do you know that he's not just gone?"

Alex smiled. "I don't _know_ anything, it's all just faith. The only thing that I _know_ is that I _don't_ know. And that's how it should be."

Nala sighed, clearly unsatisfied with his answer.

"Trust me Nala, one day we will all be together. Me, you, Simba, Mufasa, your mom, everyone."

Nala nodded, "I hope so."

The soft and gentle breeze blew softly through the dry grass and over their bodies, bathing them in the cool and refreshing breath of the Pridelands.

"Alex?" She said softly, her voice slightly timid.

"Yea?"

"Can you promise me something?"

Alex shrugged. "Sure. What?"

"Promise that you'll stay around."

The teenager rolled onto his side, and looked into Nala's concerned expression. "Hey, I'm not going anywhere."

"I know, but please. I don't want you to get hurt."

Realizing her fear, Alex nodded. She didn't mean leave as in _move _away, but leave as in _die_. "I promise that I won't leave. Nothing could make me do that; not drought, famine, hyenas, or even Zira."

Nala smiled and curled up alongside him, nudging him gently. Alex pulled her into a tight hug and listened to her heartbeat. It was the same as when she was a cub.

"Thanks." She said into his shoulder, her small voice barely being heard over the sound of the crickets around them.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))**

Alex scratched at the ground with a broken stick, the sun high over his tanned neck, occasionally shifting his weight on the boulder underneath him. He had been sitting in the same spot all afternoon, watching the base of Priderock and waiting for Nala to return. She had left well before dawn with her mother, as was tradition, and had spent the day in the field in search of her prey. Alex had wanted to see her off, but that wasn't part of the tradition; she had to go alone with only her mother to guide her.

Without Nala, Alex was bored out of his mind, finally residing in his current position and simply waiting for her return. He eyed the savannah with some concern, it was still very dry and somewhat desolate. Ideal weather for a grassfire.

His worry left his mind almost immediately as a light-coated lioness emerged from the foliage near Priderock's base. Behind her, a darker and more _deader_ figure was being dragged, possibly a wildebeest or something. At the sight of his returning friend, Alex picked himself up off his ledge and began the short trek down the side of Priderock, covering the distance quickly.

"Congratulations!" he said as he approached her.

Nala looked up at him and attempted to smile, but she was clearly disappointed. "Yea, thanks."

Alex frowned, sensing that something was wrong. "What's wrong? You got a great kill!"

Sarafina turned to Alex as she walked by. "She's upset about the state of the Pridelands... and rightfully so."

This made more sense to him. "Oh…" He walked over to her side and looked down at the dead animal with her. The ribs were clearly visible on the animal's side, indicating distinct malnutrition. "I guess it _is_ pretty bad, isn't it?"

Nala sat down. "I just… I never really realized how bad it was until I had to get something from it." She shook her head. "Everything's dead."

"Not everything." Alex countered. "You managed to find food despite the conditions."

"Yea, I guess." Nala looked down at her prey. It was a scrawny specimen, and young. Alex knew that she probably had some reservations about killing it.

She looked up at him. "Why didn't you tell me it was so bad?"

He looked back at her, feeling some guilt. "I... I didn't want you to know. It's not _fun_ knowing about how bad it is. I didn't want to ruin your hunt."

She sighed and looked to her kill. "You still think of me as a cub, don't you?"

"No," he replied sharply. "You've more than proven yourself as an adult, Nala. I just..." he went quiet for a moment as he thought of the right words to use. "I don't know. I want to protect you... but I guess you really don't need protecting. I _want _to think of you as a cub, but you've make that pretty tough."

She smiled softly. "Thanks... that means a lot."

As they were talking, three young cubs ran down the slope towards them, excitement shining clearly in their eyes.

"Can we have some?" asked the first one desperately as he crashed to the ground at Alex's feet.

"PLLLLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAASSSEEE?"

"We're _sooooooo_ hungry!"

Nala looked at the three cubs sympathetically, but before she could respond their mother approached and cut them off sharply.

"No you three, this is Nala's kill it's _hers_ to keep." The cubs shrunk back from the carcass, shamed and embarrassed of their mother's intervention. The older lioness looked at Nala. "Congratulations by the way, it isn't tough to get much these days."

"Well thank you." she said politely, "But they can have some if they want."

"Oh no dear, it's yours." she insisted.

Nala shook her head "Really, times are too tough for me to keep all this to myself."

The cubs' eyes lit up and looked to their mother, waiting for her approval. The lioness sighed. "Alright, but don't take too much!" she warned them sternly.

After the cubs had finished, Nala offered the kill to the rest of the pride. Few wanted to take any, but did so anyway both out of respect and of necessity. It was something that no one had ever done before; the first kill was always eaten entirely by the hunter that killed it, it was theirs, and theirs alone.

But Alex knew that Nala was right. Times _were_ too hard for one individual to keep an entire animal to themselves. He was proud of her for her decision, and thought back to what she had said before. He _did_ like to think of her as a cub, but she really wasn't one anymore. He liked to think that he could protect and lead her, but he knew that those times were finished. It was saddening, to think of the moments he would never get back, but at the same time he was filled with a lighter feeling, one that dwarfed the smaller negative feelings: _pride_. He was so proud of the young lioness and all she had accomplished amidst the most horrid of circumstances. One look at Sarafina was enough to understand that she felt the same way.

As he watched her share the kill, their locked eyes for just a brief moment. They had a bond, Alex knew, that was unlike anything that most people ever experienced. It was deeper than blood, deeper than affection. He had trouble thinking of himself _without_ her, and knew that even though she was an adult he would still do anything to keep her safe, and he trusted her to do the same for him. She was like his sister, and he was like her brother, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

*****Author's Note*****

**This is the last of this story that I'm going to be able to do for some while, school starts tomorrow and Officer training shortly afterwards. Maybe around Thanksgiving I will be able to get more updates in, but until then, I'm sorry to say that this will be the last entry of the rewrite. Thanks to all who have been reading, especially to those who have been reviewing. I've had fun and I hope you have too.**

**-Ben**


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